The Missing Chapter
by Wyldehart
Summary: What exactly happened to Kylea Hawke when she "disappeared"? Well, Varric's got the answer and darned if he isn't proud of it too! After all, he gets to make himself out to be the dashing love interest for once. **Sex, coarse language, spoilers**
1. Chapter 1

**The Missing Chapter**

**By Varric Tethrys**

_I hope you enjoy this first chapter of my Varric/Hawke romance. It's a fun little romp about love and need and romance and friendship. Did it really take them 10 years to come together? And what will they do with all that sexual attraction and unrequited love? This is a short story, some five or six chapters at most but it's been a pleasure to write._

**_Friendship..._**

It's over. Hawk's story ends when she disappears off into the bright, golden sunset and reappears…when? Ever? But what if I were here to tell you that Hawk's story isn't done? That she had one last adventure before fading into the tales I spin for the fun of spinning, catching each and every one of you in my golden web of lies and reality? It's true. There is one last chapter that I've never spoken of. It's a good one too! Imagine the beautiful, heroic Champion of Kirkwall with her soft, black hair and dancing violet eyes falling for this crafty dwarf? Too perfect to be true? But, alas, my sweet Bianca has a rival for my affection and this is how it all happened. So sit back, grab yourself a tall one because Varric here is going to once again ensnare you…

"…and we stood there, surrounded by at least two hundred Qunari, just the four of us! The Champion pulled out her staff and this huge fireball, about the size of a house, erupted from her hands. It plowed through, oh, thirty of them at once, instantly decimating their numbers. Bianca was thirsty so I.."

"Telling your tall tales again, I see, Varric…" came a familiar voice behind me. She was tall, handsome and bore herself with an air of nobility that was nevertheless humble. Though a powerful mage, she wore armor and carried a sword worthy of the finest warriors. Kirkwall's Champion, her hero and her pride stood before me, smiling that crooked grin that never failed to make me smile in return. Maker's breath but that woman could cause a priest's pants to rise to attention. Bianca was jealous as it was, so I told my own to chill out.

"Well, you know how it is. The people love me so I give them what they crave," I said with a chuckle. She flashed that grin at me again and in the pale lamp-light surrounding us here at the Hanged Man, my home and my base of operation here in Kirkwall, I could see that smile was sad. I bowed to my loving fans and took my leave of them, gestured to the Champion to follow me to my private suite so that we could talk. Once surrounded by the opulence of my current lifestyle (hey, I'm a wealthy dwarf with expensive tastes. Give me a break, would ya?) Kylea Hawk passed me a letter as she leaned back in her chair, her legs crossed and her fingers stroking her lower lip. She was very upset; I could see the tears just waiting to fall. "What's this?" I asked, thumbing open the letter.

"Read it," came the hoarse reply. So I did.

"_My love,_

_Please forgive this hasty departure but as you know, Starkhaven's people want a return of their true prince. Try as I might, being a brother and your spiritual love has proven impossible. Please, do not blame yourself. My responsibilities are too many and now I must return home before my cousin makes a mess of things. I have been forgiven of my vows so that I may do this. I know this is abrupt and please forgive my impetus but what I've done is for the best. The maker guides me in this decision and I am glad to make it, even if I am a bit sad for leaving you to do it._

_As I prepare to depart, I know that my leave-taking will be hard on you. You have allowed yourself to fall in love with me, a thing Andraste understood all too well. But it is for love of my people that I must leave you and with you here, needed by Kirkwall and I in Starkhaven what we could have had cannot ever be. Sadly, I will have to marry into a political union that will preclude any chance of us being together. Ever. Forgive me. You were my one true love and though it must hurt you greatly to see these words when you know I will not return to your side as anything more than a friend, I can assure you that they are true. How I wish we could have made something more of what had. Alas, there is no other way. I love you, Kylea. I will pray for your heart to mend and your soul to find its way as you move on. Perhaps the remaining Sisters in the Chantry can appeal to counsel you in this sad moment? I know that I will seek our Sisters guidance when I return to Starkhaven._

_Good luck, my friend, my love… You were ever the great one and may the Maker light your way along your future path._

_Sincerely and with all my love,_

_Honorably, Prince Sebastian Vael, Starkhaven."_

I looked up at her as I walked over to a tavern-girl I found in the hall and ordered us two glasses of something that I'm certain wasn't legal in most places. "Send it to my room, if you please," I told her. I then turned my attention back to Kyelea and raised an eyebrow as I said, "So I guess this means I can start referring to him as 'Jackass' without getting the evil eye?" I asked, pretending to be innocent. A moment later, a barmaid walked into my room to serve us our drinks and I handed one to Kylea. She kicked back the short, fat cup in her hand, downing the contents and shrugged. "Well, that means you're single I suppose. Any man worth his coin would be lucky to have you…" It was an innocent comment, not one meant to do anything more than gain appreciation. But there are times when I still underestimate her wit.

"Are you volunteering?" she quipped back at me.

I held out my hands in protest. "No! Of course not!"

"Then shut up and drink with me." Now that was a request I could agree with. So we sat and drank and nobody seemed to care that Kirkwall's champion was downing beverages of a most questionable nature with a dwarf of the same. It was nice and I admit that I'd missed it.

Eventually, she left to head back to her big, empty suite in the Viscount's keep for a few hours of shut-eye and I went back to my bed. I found it telling that even drunk as we were, we still respected each other enough to not even attempt a sympathy roll in the sheets. Granted, it was tempting to offer but…nah. Why ruin a great friendship for a few minutes of passion?

The days passed into weeks and I saw Hawk from time to time as she updated me on various things going about the city. I did most of the updating but I think she enjoyed feeling useful. Besides, it was an excuse to see her best buddy, I think. Not that I minded but she always seemed so sad. Slowly, her mood eventually improved and heartache appeared to fade. She was finally teasing me again. Then one night, she returned with yet another letter. Her eyes were streaming with tears and her cheeks were red. Sebastian again, I gathered as I took the note. One thing about my Hawk, she had a hard time hiding her emotions. You could always tell when she was having a bad day just by looking at her face. I thumbed her cheek, wiped away a tear. It was quickly replaced by another.

The note had a happy tone, his usual careless string of niceties and prayers for this or that. He hoped she was doing well, he hoped Kirkwall was rebuilding so forth and so on. It was a lovely letter and in no way insulting. I initially didn't get Hawk's barely contained fury. Then I got to the bit about his wedding. And his invitation. And how it was because of her that he could go through with it. And how the Maker had led him on this course. Maker's breath! The man was blind to the core. No wonder she was upset. I threw the letter into the fire and stroked Kye's back. She turned to me, her arms around my neck and her face pressed into my shoulder. I held her in return. "Come, Sweetness… He's not worth it. No man is. He'll always be married to the damn Chantry and no one, not even the bit of mindless fluff he's marrying will ever change that. Remember: he's a jackass and you're perfect. Besides, you've got me!" I thought I heard a distinct, throaty chuckle. There was hope for her yet, I decided.

After some time of weeping and drinking, she was too far gone to escort back to the Keep so I took her to a room here at the Inn. It wasn't much, just a bed and a fireplace with a couple of chairs and a table. It was about as clean as the rest of the place, which wasn't exactly saying much. I did all those best friend things like helping her undress to her barest essentials (not a lot, apparently. I got an eye-full!) and I did the ultimate Best Friend thing: I held a bucket to her face before she puked all over the bed. After a while, clean and a little less sick, she cried in my arms. Eventually, she welcomed the embrace of the pillows as I laid her down to sleep at last. Quietly, I sat back on my stool and contemplated our friendship, what it meant and how it had shaped us.

One thing about our friendship, there was really nothing between us that wasn't understood or known. I'd even once whispered to her about how Bianca got her name! Now that's saying something about how much I trusted her. And that there was the key: trust. It was implicit and undeniable trust and faith in one another. It made us good partners and it made us better friends. But what if it made us more than that? For the first time, I wondered if Bianca had a rival.

With Kylea on my mind, I walked back up the hall to my suite and undressed. I looked at myself in the tall mirror in my room. It was impressive and had cost a fortune but ultimately worth the cost of making sure I didn't look like your average Duster. I thought I was fairly good looking as dwarves went. Firing a crossbow as big and unruly as my Bianca (sorry, darlin') leaves a man with a powerful torso, chest and arms. I was a bit hirsute, blond hair covering my body in all the right places, save my clean-shaven face and lately I'd taken to holding back my hair in a neat ponytail at the nape of my neck. I experimentally flexed my right arm and flashed a grin. If I looked good, then why wasn't I seeing anyone? It wasn't Bianca… Well, maybe it was. She is pretty intimidating.

Shrugging, I walked back my bed and tried to sleep. All I could see in my mind, though, was the Champion. What was I going to do? She needed me to be a friend and I somehow had to pull a rabbit out of my ass and make her get over Sebas-eh-Jackass. How was I going to do that? Then, as darkness claimed my vision, I knew exactly what I was going to do…

The next day, she was propping up the bar, drinking something legal only in underworld communities that aren't patrolled regularly. I was impressed by the strength of her stomach and her tolerance for the taste. She seemed to rival only Isabella in her capacity to drink without showing the effects immediately. It was unhealthy. Why unhealthy? Because she'd never been this way before and all of a sudden she was turning into someone the Choir Boy would have wanted to "fix". Maybe that was her goal but it was a bit late. You don't make yourself undesirable to the man who threw you aside _after _he tosses you to the curb, after all. She needed a distraction; something to get her thinking about something other than the Jackass. I needed to get her away from Kirkwall, for a while at least.

The barkeep smiled and waved at me as I drew near the bar. He slid a drink my way and, though I had a tab, I tossed him a coin anyway. It made him smile and solute. I slid into one of the well-worn barstools and then I withdrew a sheet of paper from my pocket. After unfolding it, I placed it on the bar under my gloved hand. "How ya doin', Hawk?" I asked, my brow raised.

She gave me a noncommittal shrug. "I want to recreate Anders' little trick with Sebastian inside if you catch my drift but since I'm not needlessly homicidal, I guess I can settle for thinking sinful things in his direction instead. I think I need a break from Kirkwall for a while. Don't you think I do? It's not only Sebastian, either. It's everything! It's the city, her demands, her people, her hopes and fears. And, honestly, I'm just not needed anymore. A while back, Sebastian said that during good times, a kingdom practically runs itself and hardly needs a king or a leader. It's during bad times that a leader become necessary. I figure if I can put the seneschal in charge, I can take an extended break and figure out who I am again. Is that too much to ask?" She fixed me with those brilliant amethyst eyes and I nearly forgot why I was here. "Well?"

I blinked at her slowly, dumbstruck for a moment. Her disheveled black hair was damp from a recent bath and clung to her face in wisps around her lean face. Her red lips were swollen and her eyes a bit puffy from crying though they seemed dry now. Without a verbal answer, I slid the paper across the bar until it was directly in front of her. Spilled beer bled through it as it she leaned over to gaze down at it and began to read. "This…is a ship's manifest! Why are you showing me this?"

I grinned broadly at her as I gave a gentle shove to her shoulder with my hand. "Keep reading, Sweetness."

"What?" her eyes shifted back to the beer-dampened manifest. "Okay… Oh…_OH_! 'Eight humans, three elves and…one _dwarf_! Is this what I think it is? Varric? Really? This ship leaves tomorrow morning! Maker! There's so much to do, Varric. We better get started immediately! I don't know what to say but…'thanks' seems so insufficient. I think I love you! " She was so excited I thought she was going to kiss me. A moment later, her arms encircled my neck and her lips _were_ pressed against my cheek, almost upon my mouth. It was terrifically tempting to turn my head to reposition her mouth on mine but, being a good dwarf, I behaved and stayed still. I did hug her back and since being "good" is subjective in my case, I did grab her ass for the fun of it.

She laughed and waved the barkeep over. "Get him anything he wants. Sky's the limit, my friend. Varric Tethrys, you have just made my year."

"Can I cop another feel without fear of reprisal? I didn't get enough of your ass in my hand during the first one," I said with a short chuckle. Her reply was typical of my Hawk; she stuck out her tongue at me. I couldn't tell then if she was encouraging me or rebuffing me. She didn't exactly say "no", after all. Some men take a "non-no" as an invitation. I'm not typically one of those men but with Hawk, I had more a little more leeway than most due to the openness of our relationship. Think of us as a platonic married couple who know exactly what they can get away with and not get slapped. But sometimes, just maybe, I wonder if things might not be more interesting if the envelope could get pushed just a bit more…like all the way.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**The Missing Chapter**

**Part 2**

**By Varric Tethrys**

_Thank you, Bioware, for letting me play in your playground and creating this unlikely hero among dwarves. I have never been a dwarf-person but Varric is a fine man with a grand sense of humor, race aside. And thank you, readers. Were it not for you, I would be very bored indeed._

…_**Trust…**_

The rest of the day was spent finalizing arrangements, such as getting the city cared for under the guidance of the Guard Captain and arranging for my own businesses to be cared for from afar. Since my thumb's in a lot of pies (I promise, it's clean. Sort of…) I have to make sure those pies are safely watched. There are a few trusted associates I have, including Aveline. She would make sure those pies were still there when I get back, anyway. The lady runs a tight ship, that's for sure. Considering how close I skate to the edge of legally running things, she does a good job watching my back. Hey, what can say? I provide important services that benefit a lot of people. Myself especially… Man's gotta eat, after all.

With bags minimally packed in waterproof packs, coins in pouches pressed against our chests (Kye showed me her cleavage-sandwiched coin pouch. I didn't look…sort of.) we made certain everything was ready and things were in order. That night, she was so excited and I was so terrified that neither of us could sleep. We passed the time saying our farewells and dancing to the spontaneous music of a couple of bards who had starting playing. When our fun was ended, we found ourselves exhausted and laughing at my customary table. The Champion was sprawled across the arms of a chair, wearing a lighthearted smile, a cup of rum in her hand. "I returned Sebastian's letter," she said casually.

I started to comment before I remembered the fire and the letter's curling, blackening edges. "Uh…I lit that thing up, didn't? I thought I watched it burn!"

She chuckled deep in her throat and sparked a bit of electricity between her fingers, which she threw at me. I easily dodged the harmless little ball and grinned as it zapped a fellow in the back of the head. His reaction was priceless as he searched for what had just smacked him. "You did. I salvaged what bits I could find in the fireplace before the tavern wench could clean it out. I dropped those and a few ashes into a pouch and passed it off to a messenger along with a brief letter regretfully informing him of my unfortunate inability to attend his most glorious day."

I blinked at her before laughing heartily. Maker but the woman had guts! What a woman! When my laughter no longer robbed my lungs of air and I was finally able to lean against the table and smile fondly at her, I said, "Holy shit, Hawk, you amaze me sometimes. That's something I would do, you know."

She nodded as she downed the last of her rum. Her cheeks were flushed warmly and her smile was loose and trouble-free. "Oh yes. I knew you would approve. It was…very cathartic." She swung her leg slowly back and forth over the arm of the chair lazily. She reminded me of a cat I once allowed to live with me who hunted mice in exchange for a roof and a few caresses. This cat would find the best chairs and completely stretch herself across them as if she were the owner. If Hawke had had a tail, she'd be flicking it about triumphantly.

I pushed myself warily out of my own chair and walked over to her. Gently, I took her by both her hands and hauled her out of the chair and to her feet. "Come along, Sweetness. You're going to doze off if you're not careful." She giggled and draped her arm around my shoulders as we climbed the stairs to her room. Once we were there, she opened the door and stopped to face me. She leaned her shoulder against the doorway, her smile full of kindness and affection. "Thank you for everything, Varric. I really needed you and you came through for me."

I shrugged casually though inside I was giving myself an ecstatic fist-pump. "Nothing to it, Hawke. What else are friends for? I'd do anything for you…you know that. You're important to me. Besides, I'm still paying back the debt I racked up during our years knowing each other. Your story's been my gravy train, after all. Do you think I'll ever finish paying it off?"

She smiled thoughtfully and paused before she prepared to close the door. After the brief hesitation and the tender look she gave me, she once again began to press it shut. I watched as the last sliver of light from her room disappeared and I heard her say, "I hope not, Varric." Another mental fist-pump.

Dawn brought with it a thin veil of light and a headache. There was also a strong sense of dread as I thought about what I was doing today. The last time I was on a ship, it was for a short trip during which I was mostly unconscious. I had Bertrand to thank for a brief trip back to Orzammar some years before his death, when I was still quite young. It was a bad experience then and I was dreading it now. Slowly, I pulled myself together and I had just donned my coat and threw my pack over my shoulder when I heard a soft knock at the door. "Enter, Sweetness."

Kye stuck her head around the corner, grinning like a little girl opening her eyes for the first time on Feast Day morning, excited for the gifts she might receive from family and friends. She was almost giddy. With a heavy sigh, I decided that I would at least _look_ enthusiastic about the boat-thing for her sake. Fortunately, I happen to be a great liar. "Well? You coming? The manifest says we need to be on the dock by an hour after sunrise." I nodded and grabbed her hand as I headed out the door.

The only time Lowtown looks inviting at all is when the sun isn't quite up, the thieves and bandits have retired to their own beds and the crazy people and merchants are still holed up in their dens. It's almost peaceful and it's very quiet. The air was brisk and a fine sheen of dew erased the dust from the outer walls of the buildings for a time. Ah, home. I was going to miss it, that's for sure. The Inn-keep was going to keep my room for me until we returned. I was a good draw of coin for him so our arrangement, mutually profitable as it was, allowed for me to have a home to return to.

We wound our way through the sun-kissed streets until we crossed in the docks area. This was a rough part of Kirkwall, even at sunrise, because of the people who were not allowed into the city proper. They preyed on the people with the coin to come and go as they pleased and they were pretty indiscriminate. With Aveline on hand, the guard did a damn fine job of cracking down on these ruffians and you could no longer bribe your way into the city like you used to. Now, unless you had a good reason to be here, either travel or business, they wouldn't let you through.

Much too soon, the bane of my existence, a massive ship (small according to the captain) loomed above me. It's not water or seasickness I fear. It's not even a fear by definition I have! Ships, by their very design, are death traps. Constructed of planks of wood, tar and nails with some steel thrown in for support, they were, nevertheless, flimsy conveyances that bobbed like corks in the middle of depthless waters filled with all nature of hungry beasts. I was unwilling to meet these critters face to face and here I was, because of my Champion, stepping onto the gangway, heading up to the ship, a freighter named the "Defiant Ditty." I had officially become a glutton for punishment and I hoped my enemies weren't watching. Just to make certain, I looked around suspiciously.

Soon, after our gear was safely stowed and were shown our small cabin in the heart of the leviathan we would be traveling in. There was one way in, one way out. The door was short enough that I laughed when Hawk had to duck a bit. Two hammocks swayed between two poles, far away from the wall just in case, uh, the waves were rough. I suggested that I should get drunk before we got underway and Kye shook her head slowly, her eyes rolled high. Okay, so I was going to lose some respect if I did that and trying to get me drunk enough to ignore the fact I was in the belly of a wooden child's toy was going to be very expensive.

The captain's second, a handsome man named "Frisk" led us around the ship, showing us the galley, the head and told us the times we were allowed up on the main decks. Apparently, if the waves were easy, we would hear a bell, letting us know we could move about. I found that rather clever. I noticed that he spoke primarily to Hawk during this tour, even though there were a lot of other people. I looked at Hawk and she seemed to enjoy his attention as he openly flirted with her. It was then that I felt a stirring of jealousy. Really, Varric? _Jealousy_?

A short time later, we were down in our cabin, playing cards when the ship lurched out into the Waking Sea. Our journey to Ferelden had begun! I sighed. It's hard to be enthusiastic about something you really hate doing. I smiled for Kylea's sake and laid the final card down. I had won, of course. Only Isabella can consistently beat me at this game.

It was some two hours later that the bell signaled that we could come out and explore a bit. The ship was a modified freighter that had been fitted with cabins and a reasonably stocked galley to accommodate a few passengers in comfort between the shores of the Free Marches and Ferelden. It still did it primary job of hauling trade goods but people were good business and people with good coin had certain tastes. This captain, an exiled Orleisan bard (hence the "Defiant Ditty") knew perfectly how to make coin off of people who like to travel well. It was why I chose him. The fact that the Champion of Kirkwall was going to be traveling aboard his ship was the thing that had allowed me to haggle our price down considerably. He would get to boast that she had used his service and I got to save almost the equivalent of a passenger's worth of gold. I always go for the deal that leaves me the least amount of debt, even if it is a bit underhanded.

Hawk smirked over her shoulder at me as she headed up to the main deck, leaving my timid ass behind. "You coming?" she asked. Her voice suggested that the query was made out of politeness since she knew I would decline.

"Uh… I'm good here, I think. I'll just head to the galley and see if they have any rum. Rum is good. Rum is very good," I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. Okay, so maybe I was just a little, teensy bit afraid. "Have fun up there!" I said with a wave. She laughed at me as she closed the hatch. She knew the truth. She knew me better than I probably knew myself. I liked that about her, that understanding between us. It allowed me to just be me and not worry about anything because I knew she would never judge me.

Frustrated by my cowardice, I walked back to the galley and found a young elf lad sitting at one of the two large common tables. I noted somewhat nervously that the table was bolted to the floor, as were the benches. Ignoring this, I managed to find a bottle of rum and took it to the table and sat down. "Hey there. You all right? Wanna drink?"

"I…um, no thanks. That's rum. It'll turn my stomach. I hate boat rides. My brother doesn't hate boat rides. He wants to be a pirate cuz pirates are free but I don't want to because pirates break the law. I just wanna go back home to Denerim. I hate boat rides. Do you hate boat rides? Do they scare you?"

I stopped in the act of swallowing my rum. I don't ever recommend stopping in the middle of swallowing rum because it just sort of sits there in your throat, burning you. I coughed as I looked back at the young elf who sat staring at me with earnest silver eyes. It was then that I realized just how chicken-shit I was being with the whole boat-thing. "Well, boy, uh… They don't scare me but, well, I'm not real fond of them. I won't go into detail. Let's just say that once you're aware of how they build 'em, you become a lot more aware of how they fall apart. Anyway, kid, I need some air. Be safe, okay?"

I excused myself and headed for the stairs (a glorified ladder that angled only slightly so that it wasn't entirely vertical) and climbed up to the main deck. All around me, I could hear the sounds of creaking wood and behind us, I could no longer see the high cliffs of Kirkwall. Three days. Three days to Jader. I could do that! But as my feet struggled to gain purchase on the swaying, damp deck beneath them, I spotted Kye standing at the railing of the ship's narrow bow. I could almost make out the conversation she was having with "Serah Stuffed Crotch". Evidently, he had finally propositioned her and she was diplomatically turning him down. I tried not to express my enthusiasm at the thought. I succeeded. Barely. He wasn't offended by the rebuff and even leaned in to kiss her.

I cleared my throat when the kiss seemed to take far too long for my taste. "Stuffed Crotch" smiled at me and made his way to the wheel so that he could relieve the captain. I walked over to Hawke, whose eyes were on the red sky, the sun low enough to touch. "So… No sleeping in a real bed for you tonight, eh?" I asked with a grin as my eyes followed hers. The setting sun really was quite lovely. Blues above faded to a thin haze of velvet lavender, the color of the Champion's eyes before becoming a brilliant red. Then red became a rich orange and there, near the sun, the horizon glowed a golden yellow, as if it were on fire. Behind us, a deep, rich blue was giving way to darkness and already a bright white moon could be seen on that opposite horizon. It was breathtaking.

She leaned against the rail, her arms folded upon it and her narrow chin resting on them. Her black hair blew about her face in the evening breeze and I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty I saw there. Between the sunset and the lady, I was dumb-struck with awe. Don't let that part get around. I have a reputation to uphold, after all.

"I'm not ready, Varric. He means only to dally for pleasure and I would like to but… I've kept myself pure for so long I doubt I would remember the first thing about fanciful love-play. He's very charming for a one-night stand. Besides, it would be unfair to you."

I looked up at her and grinned in the waning light. Above, the stars were just beginning to shed their thin veils, the dance of night soon to begin with the moon as the star of the show. "Unfair to me? Sweetness, if this is what you want then do it! It's only for fun, right? It's not as if you plan to run away and marry the fool. So be my guest. Besides, it'll remind you what kind of vixen you really are under that veneer of nobility."

She laughed and reached for my hand. I gripped it and pressed my lips to her strong fingers. "You think I'm a vixen, do you? Wouldn't you like to know the truth, Varric Tethrys!" We shared a laugh and then she turned her gaze back to the horizon. It was darker now; the sky a star-studded sapphire blue that faded into a rich gold at the place where the ocean kissed the sky goodnight. I leaned my head against her arm and sighed. Instinctively, our legs compensated for the gentle roll of the sea as it moved beneath us. It was soothingly hypnotic; like dancing a dance you know by heart. I confess: I might have liked it. Okay, maybe boats weren't so bad after all. "This is…amazing. It is so very romantic. I'm glad you're with me to witness this, my friend," she whispered softly to me. Maker, but I wanted to kiss her.

I didn't say or do anything. Instead, I put my arm around her waist and snuggled closer. When the sun was gone, we both looked up into the dark sky and within seconds we saw three stars shoot across the sky. Omen? Or chance? It was striking nonetheless. Out here, away from the city, the sky became a void that would terrify a stone-born dwarf. Even I felt very small and unprotected. My Champion cleared her throat and tugged on my sleeve. I was startled at how much cooler it was now. "Come on. Let's head in. I need a snack and… Maybe I'll talk to Frisk, hm?" she said with a grin.

"Good idea, Sweetness. I've had my fair share of awe for one night. I'm definitely going to write about this, though," I said with a chuckle as we descended into the hold.

"Just make sure you put in a part where the handsome fellow kisses the girl at the exact point the three stars shoot across the sky, okay?" she said as she detoured for Frisk's stateroom. I blinked in her wake, once again caught speechless. How the crap does she do this to me? I'm known for my big mouth being open! Not keeping it shut.

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Missing Chapter,**

**Part 3**

_Ahh, Part Three. Thank you my faithful readers for allowing me to continue posting this tale. There's nothing juicy yet but the sex and violence are just around the bend. But this story takes our adventure a bit further. I hope you don't get sea-sick…!_

* * *

Quite some time later, I was in our cabin, reading a book in the dim lamplight, when she walked in with her cheeks flushed and her shirt loosely stitched. She was all but hanging out of her bodice and I could clearly see the red dragon that curled around her right breast. The head, according to what she told me once when we were drunk, was poised, mouth open, right above her nipple. I'd never seen it before now. Not the, ah, head of it but now, I was seeing a lot more than I had any right to see, that's for damn sure.

She came over to me and leaned against my hammock, almost jostling me out of it. I gripped her shoulder to stop it from swaying as I waited for her to speak. She was grinning like a fool, her fingers running through her wild, black hair. "Hm. Maybe I shouldn't tell you about it…" she teased with a giggle.

I smiled and shook my head. Should I let her spill the details or not? How much would she reveal? "Go ahead and talk about it if you like, Sweetness. I'm all ears. Besides, I have to tell the tale someday!" I drew a deep breath and waited as she fixed me with those depthless eyes that let me see into her soul.

"Okay… It was like this: He was good with his hands, he knew how to use what the Maker gave him and otherwise he was dumb as a prostitute in Darktown. Conversation is something I find exciting and wonderful and why can't I have a man who is as good at conversing as he is at lovemaking? Oh, Varric… There are times I really wish you were interested in me. You're like one-stop shopping at one of those stalls where you have everything you need. Anyhow, I'm off to bed. Unless it's a quickie, I doubt I'll be lying with Frisk again." Wait, wait, _wait_ a minute! She said I was "one stop shopping!" I like that, actually. That meant I was the whole package. Smart, funny, great with intelligent conversation and…good in bed. Though whether that was true or not was hard to say, having never had sex with myself. In my line of work, the ladies don't offer up formal critiques of your skills. Even if you're awful, they'll tell you that you rocked their world. Yes, it's very sad.

We slept in our hammocks that night, swaying along with the ship and alone in our dreams. In the bowels of a freighter, it's hard to tell night from day. And the ship creaks and groans constantly. There's no such thing as silence so light sleepers beware: Even the nicest wooden ships are a bother to sleep in. You just have to sleep when exhaustion claims you and you wake when you have to use the head or when you're hungry and you find ways to pass the time in between. The young elf I met was fond of cards and didn't mind losing so we played for pebbles and a few coppers when he improved. By mid-day on the second day, I walked up onto the main deck where the captain stood, his eyes on the horizon before us. I followed his gaze, shadowing my eyes against the western sun. It was high but just beyond it was a line of angry darkness. "That looks ominous…" I remarked.

The captain, his accented flavored with Orlesian spice, nodded. "More than you know, my friend. That storm is the reason we will not make Jader when I planned. Already, the prevailing winds push against us. My fear is that, to the southeast, there is a collection of rocky islands that form the delta from Lake Calenhad and we may be headed right for them. We are just west of those but unless we hit the channel as perfectly as we did coming, we will be at the rocks' mercy. My plan is to travel east, back to Kirkwall, to await the storm and then head back out again. I have a private berth so that should not be a problem."

Practical as all dwarves are, I asked, "And if we don't make it?"

The captain sighed and looked back up into the threatening sky. "I…don't want to dwell on what will happen. It will be bad, that is all I can say."

"Among the flotsam, I take it?" I suggested gravely.

The captain shrugged. "It is what it is. Anything you like, though, pack it up so that if the worst happens, it won't catch you by surprise. Tie it all together and just…be ready."

I was tempted to tie myself to something and then decided that swimming might be better than floating upside down or sinking. So I found Bianca and made sure she was bagged and prepared. Then I set about getting our gear ready for the worst. It was during some of those breaks in the day that I found Hawke's absences difficult to bear. She was with Frisk , no doubt, and I needed her so that I could make sure she was ready for anything. Just as I was beginning to grumble, with a sensation of fear unlike any I'd ever felt twisting in my gut like poison, I saw her. She waved to me as I approached. "You minx! I've been looking for you but, I guess you were…"

She grinned and shook her head as she interrupted. "…helping Lady Salide deal with her pending divorce. She's agonizing over it but knows it's the best thing for her. Her husband is a right bastard! Once we reach Jader, she plans to appeal to Chantry and the local magistrate for dissolution of the marriage." I winced as she utterly dashed all my suspicions, leaving me feeling guilty. "You look pale, frightened… Is everything all right?"

I shook my head slowly. "Come with me, Hawk. I need to show you something…" We walked up to the main deck and stared over the bow. The line of storm clouds behind us was marching ever closer on our tail, faster than we could retreat from them. Ahead, was the rocky channel, islands looming in the distance. They were hard to see but becoming clearer on that distant horizon. The waves were shoving us toward the death trap ahead, relentless and strong. If the storm hit while were in the channel, we were all fucked. Even as close as we were to Kirkwall, everything depended on the storm. I explained this all to her and she was fine until I got to the "fucked" part.

As she stood there, absorbing the reality of what I'd said, lightening lit up the sky, followed by the distant echo of thunder. The sight of the eerie, golden sky-fire caused a chill to run down my spine. I took her hand and pulled her along with me as I all but ran across the deck to the hatch. Under our feet, the waves rolled, almost knocking us to our knees. "Let's go below, Sweetness. There's nothing we can do up here and I doubt even the Maker will be crazy enough to watch us in that storm."

"It's going to be bad, Varric. I know weather, I understand the elements and I believe that it's going to much worse than anyone can imagine," she said she climbed down the steps. I looked over at her, nodding gravely as she softly spoke. She was just as afraid as I was. Her fingers curled around my own and we went to our cabin to wait it out. But there would be no waiting it out. This monster was going to overtake us, destroying the ship and possibly killing us all in the process. Prayer was not a viable option as it rarely affected the actual outcome of a bad situation. Besides, I had to wonder how many lives had been lost over the ages due to poor planning and time lost due to prayer alone. The Maker can't do everything! So we sat down and planned for the worst.

The plan was simple, really. Everything we held dear was strapped to our bodies and since Hawke was a better swimmer than I was, she would carry our weapons. We carefully unhinged the door to our cabin and strapped the packs, double-packed in oiled leather, to the back of the wooden door. There was nothing of value and everything could be replaced, if expensively. Bianca was strapped to my back in her usual place but heavily padded and packaged against every foreseeable chance of water damage. Then, with the waves becoming more aggressive, we began the tedious process of waiting.

We were seated on the floor, trying to play cards when the word came that we needed to prepare for the worst. Ser Stuffed Crotch came to visit and looked at the empty door-way to our cabin with raised brows. "Ah, My Lady, would you come with me, please?" he said to Hawk. I frowned. Okay, I admit it; I was jealous. I saw it in his eyes, the lust there, the desire to die but not without one final lay with the prettiest woman on the ship. She got up and followed him and I watched warily. There was no way I was getting up off the floor with the waves beating on the ship the way they were. We were now actively rolling from side to side and up and down. I'd never been known to get motion-sick but damned if I wasn't feeling queasy now. I wonder if that was affecting Hawke's love-making?

She returned a short time later, looking pissed. "That _asshole_ wanted to have sex with me! Can you believe that? Impossible and insane! I refused, of course. He wanted to go down with a _bang_. I told him that if I was going to die, it was going to be with my best friend in my arms and nobody else. Varric…" She crouched before me and our faces drew close. I touched her cheek with my fingers and our lips parted.

"Hawke, I've always wanted to tell you this but I never knew how. I…" Then the world exploded around us, slamming us into one another and ending anything else I was going to say or do. Water rushed in, wood blasted outward and a chest slammed into us. Ironically, it protected us from several large splinters that sought to pierce our flesh. My Hawk was many things but she was definitely not a healer. That chest saved our lives.

Our cabin filled quickly and I climbed atop the door we prepared, Hawke holding it in swiftly-rising waist-deep water. I could tell from the way she was standing that the deck was tilting under her and the ceiling lowered, pressing in on us. There was very little time to escape. She gripped my face and kissed me hard before shoving me out the door. "Find a way out! I'm going to help anyone I can. I love you, Varric. Please be safe!" Then she dove into the cold, dark water and disappeared down a hall that was swiftly being consumed by the sea. My worst dreams come true; I was terrified that we were going to die. This was the end.

Now was the time to pray.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Missing Chapter**

**By Varric Tethrys**

**Part 4**

_Now things get fun, heh heh. I promised some sweet lovin' and this chapter begins it. These guys have so much chemistry, I'm controlling very little of it and basically letting it write themselves. I think Varric is watching from over my shoulder… Hmm! Sensuality is implied but nothing juicy yet._

* * *

**Revelations**

All around me was darkness and swirling water. The ship creaked and snapped as it broke apart in the storm. I heard someone yelling, calling out for help. Without thinking or knowing where the voice was, I used my hands to paddle my way through the sloshing, roiling chaos of water. The person cried out again, his voice gurgling at the end and at last, I reached his side. My hand took hold of his and I hauled him up onto the door so that he was half-sprawled across it. My make-shift raft flopped about precariously but in my terror, I somehow kept it stable.

"Thank-you…ser," the man said softly. I realized then that it was the elf-boy. He smiled up at me warily in the dark. "Where's your lady?" he asked.

I blinked my eyes at him and then looked up ahead without an answer. She could be dead, I realized, and I wasn't ready for that probability. I reached into the ceiling and hauled us through the ship's broken belly until I found the outer hull blocking our escape. I nudged the kid. "You have to help me, boy. We need to pull this door and my gear down under the wall. I suck at swimming but the way the water is running this way tells me we can escape here, under the hull, possibly through it. The door is going to make it difficult so we're going to have to muscle it down with us so that we can use it as a raft on the surface. We can do this, kid! We need that door!"

The boy nodded and I jumped into the dark, frigid waters. I pushed my body through the dark water, my eyes burning in the salty fluid as I tried to see ahead of me. My short legs and barrel-shaped torso were not designed for swimming in deep water and my body kept trying to float me back to the surface. Finally, I saw light through a hole not far from where the boy bobbed with the door. Satisfied, I shoved back up to the surface with a gasp of air. "_Shit_! It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a lobster!" I said as the air I'd sucked in let out all of a sudden. "Let's do this." I dove down under the water and took the door by the handle on the underside as the boy climbed on top, shoving it down. It was almost impossible but we managed to fight the wood's natural buoyancy to angle it downward at a slant. I found the break in the hull and we kicked the door away. Just when I thought we were home free, something cracked sharply, painfully into the back of my skull. Before the darkness claimed me, I felt the boy's hands grip my shoulders and then…

…nothing.

I've come close to death exactly three times in my life. The first time was when I was testing my luck in Dark Town and got mugged. The thief left my bleeding corpse in an ally and left for dead. Someone found me and hauled my ass to Anders' clinic where I first met him. He healed me without a request for coin or aid and didn't even give me his name. All he said was, "Don't let this become a habit" and "if you want to repay me, get the bastards who did this to you for me. Fewer muggers equal fewer wounded." I did find the muggers and Bianca got her pay-backs. I find it amazing that the thieves who attacked me blind didn't take her along with my coin. I think they thought she was broken or something… Anyway, I left Anders a sovereign that night in spite of his refusal to accept it. He was a good kid… Shame he had to go psycho on us.

The second time I was close to death, I was on one of my brother's wild goose-chases. We were trolling for treasure in an underground cavern and while I was plotting my revenge (I hate caves…) I stepped into a pit-trap, fell to the bottom and broke my leg. Bartrand laughed at me before running back to the surface to get help. I festered in that damned pit for three days! _Three days_! When he finally returned, I was so weak from blood-loss, malnutrition, pain and fatigue that I could barely shake my fist at him as I was hauled out. As soon as I was well, I had Bianca pointed at his nose and I told him that if he ever did that to me again, he was dead. Amazing how things work out, isn't it?

And the third time I came close to death I was almost killed during a raging storm at sea by a piece of wood that had shot away from the freighter as the ship disintegrated. When I awoke, I was cold, shivering and wet against a warm body. Above the smacking, popping sounds of pounding rain, I heard my name being shouted in between heartbreaking sobs. "Varric, come on! Don't do this to me. I cannot lose you now. Not now. You mean too much!" Ah. My Champion was crying over me and pressing me, rocking me, tightly against her bosom as she all but willed me to live.

I waited a moment before alerting her to my return to consciousness because, being a man, there's just something wonderful about being sobbed over while having my face pressed into those perfect little breasts. I soon decided that if I played opossum too long, she would get pissed and never press my face into those nearly-bare breasts again. Reluctantly, I coughed, hacking up half the sea and spitting it into the sand. Even if you're the adventurous type, I do not recommend drinking sea-water; the shit's nasty going down, worse going back up. I am _not_ the adventurous type!

I looked up at her, my gold-brown eyes meeting her lavender gaze, and grinned sheepishly. Encouraged, Kye took my face in her hands and planted a long and incredibly passionate kiss on my mouth. I felt her tongue, tasted her spit and I reached up with both my hands to grip her face. I returned that kiss with more need than I realized I had. I don't know how long we curled around one another, bodies pressed tightly together and our mouths and tongues entwined in a perfectly choreographed dance of desire. It was amazing, that kiss. It made me feel more alive than I had in years. It was as if a great weight had lifted off my shoulders as the need and the attraction we had for one another was finally acknowledged. I had always thought it would be impossible of me to be loved by Kye in return but sure enough, as we ended the kiss, she only had eyes for me.

Grinning up at her, I wiped away her tears with my thumbs and murmured through a voice that cracked with emotion, "Hm. I always took you for preferring the tall, dark and handsome types. Are hairy, short blond men your preference instead? Amazing that I never had a clue!"

She helped me into a seated position and she smiled awkwardly at me, a bit of color flushing her wet cheeks. She looked so pathetic in that instant, with her stringy, soaked curls clinging stubbornly to her angular face and droplets of rain running down her nose. I wanted just to hold her and warm her up but there was no warmth in this rain, not even from my arms. Then the smile turned into her, "Don't fuck with me!" look as she said, "Don't you dare get that close to dying again! Do you understand me? You scared the piss out of me! I don't know what I would do if I lost you!"

I blinked my eyes at her. She was crying! She was actually _crying_ over _me_? It took a moment for that to sink in and even longer for me to come up with a witty come-back. "Well, Darlin', if it means getting kissed like that every time I get near death, I'll be damned if I won't try it again!"

She blinked at me, caught off guard by my comment. But my Champion is a smart woman and we've been friends a long time. She knows me well. "If what you want is a kiss, all you have to do is lean forward and pucker up anytime you want one. I'll be happy to kiss you and you won't even need to try to die. It would be my sincerest pleasure."

I smirked and rose to my knees. For a moment, the world swayed and I had to plant my hands on her shoulders to keep from pitching forward. Pretending it was intentional, I puckered up and batted my eyes at her. She laughed and wrapped her slender arms around me, our lips merging once more. It was safe to say that I was officially in love. But, when she pulled away at the end of the wonderful merging of mouths, she gripped my bewhiskered chin between her fingers and forced me to meet her gaze. Whatever it was that she was looking for, finding it made her frown. I was hoping for another kiss but, alas, it was basic medical examination. I sighed.

"Stay here and do not lie down or try to sleep. You have a concussion and you need to stay awake and alert." She turned to the woman standing behind Kye. "My Lady, if you would keep an eye on Varric, I would appreciate it. Dustin and I will go looting the bodies and whatever else has washed ashore," she said in a worried voice. In spite of the emotion behind it, I was impressed by the stoic command I heard there. She was still every bit the Champion, even wearing the thinnest, barest scraps of her old robes that she wore. The fabric left little to the imagination and clung to her in tatters that only _just_ covered the important parts of the scarlet dragon tattoo that ran the length of her right side. It was painfully obvious to me that she was very, very cold.

That's when, for some odd reason, I suddenly realized I didn't have Bianca. I panicked; lunging to my feet, I cried out, "Shit! Bianca! Please, please tell me she didn't become flotsam!" Kye ran over to me, breasts bouncing and her robes almost displaying the tantalizing maw of the dragon. Her arms went around me, gently pushing me back down into the wet sand. The boy, Dustin, walked over with a smile and a large pack.

"Serah, your Bianca is safe. I had her all along and as far as I know, she never suffered. Here you go." He handed me my most prized possession, my baby, and stood back as I held her. Once again, I was struck speechless. I looked up at him, tears mingling in the stinging rain and sand that clung to my skin. Kye continued to hold me but now, she was smiling gently. "No need to thank me, Serah. You saved my life so when you were injured, I saved both of yours. You're welcome," he added sheepishly. He wasn't used to praise, I realized.

"He…he saved her…I…" Kye shushed me and pressed her lips to mine.

"Of course he did. Now relax, my love. I have much to do before we seek shelter. We need a map or some way of knowing where we are. It's Ferelden's Coastlands for certain. Maybe close to Highever? There's a ridge behind us and Highever is built above the sea. But I must be certain so that we know where we are going. There's also West Hill, which is close to where we broke apart during the storm. Damn! I need a map!"

I watched her walk along that shore, sometimes stopping to dig through the debris that had washed up. The rain was helpfully cleaning away some of the sand that clung stubbornly to everything. It was all over me and everything else. Have I mentioned how much I hate sand? Anyway, Hawke was meticulous; she missed nothing. As she searched, a very bored, very tired Lady Salide came and sat down beside me. She was awkward in her tattered gown but tried her best to cling to her dignity. "So. What's your story?" I asked her, my fingers tracing circles in the sand. I hated being laid out here, not doing anything while others worked. I don't ever argue with Hawke when she's right but that doesn't always mean I have to agree with her!

"What is there to tell?" she asked me a voice influenced by at least three cultures. I heard Orlesian at its heart spiced with the richness of Antivan and tempered with a touch of the simplicity of Fereldan. It was musical to hear.

"Well, for one, you are not from the Free Marches, that's for certain. That means you're from someplace, or some _places_, else! To me, that means there's a story and if there's anything in world I like more than Hawke, (besides Bianca), it's a good yarn. Go ahead. I'm listening." I grinned up at her, oozing with what I hoped was glittering charm. Unfortunately, when you're dripping, shivering wet, it's hard to ooze anything short of misery. Ahh, but she took the bait and smiled at me.

**To be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Missing Chapter**

**By Varric Tethras**

**Part 5**

_This chapter has a rather strong NSFAA rating. Um… M comes to mind. Besides the usual peppering of swear-words, there's some heavy petting later on in the chapter. So if you're reading it to your children, I have two words for you_**… **_**STOP NOW**_**.**_ Otherwise, the rest of you lust-junkies should finally get your reward!_

**The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo**

"Very well. A tale for a tale, no?" she asked with a smile. I shrugged and waved her to continue. "You will tell me how you met Hawke, I will you about my life, the abridged version, of course." Her story was that of a social climber; a professional in the art of political and social positioning. She was born in Ferelden to a nobleman, a Bann, who gambled away his fortune and sent his youngest daughter to Orlais to marry one of his debtors to help pay off his loans. She was fourteen and it was there that she learned the game of intrigue and status-climbing.

By the time she was eighteen, her then-husband dumped her because she had yet to produce a child. Never mind the fact that he raped her almost daily until that time but alas, it turned out _he_ was infertile. Amazing that he thought she was at fault when it was really him. Anyway, finally free of the bastard, she made her way in Orlesian social circles, gaining sympathy for her situation and eventually, she met a woman who had a cousin in Antiva who was a man of very high status (and great wealth!) who needed a wife. He was a bit older and a bastard but it would get her out of Orlais and he would make her rich.

She did not find Antiva to her liking. I hear the mosquitoes will suck you dry if you hang out near the water too long. She disliked the food, the atmosphere and she hated having to have a body guard constantly at her back. She groused about the whole thing but kept her mouth shut her entire time there. Her new husband was not well liked and there must have been a dozen poisoned daggers pointed in his direction the entire time they lived there. She counted at least three assassination attempts! But she remained loyal, even moving with him when they left Antiva to escape the Crows.

There, in the Free Marches, they made a home for themselves and even a name. They were reasonably content for about six years until the Crows got wind where he was living. They started stalking him again and he began meeting with a Arl here in Ferelden. He had contacts, it seemed, that would help the two disappear for good. It was not a life our young noblewoman desired. The Arl and Salide became quite taken with one another and so they made plans for her to divorce her husband and remarry.

She said it was the first honest relationship she'd ever had and she loved him. The best part of it all was that her husband had left her everything he had and being insanely protective of his purse-strings meant he had saved every copper he'd ever had. It was all hers now. Salide confided that Hawke had been a great help handling her moral issues concerning her husband. She cared for him but all the running, all the hiding and then his drinking… It had all become too much for her to bear. Free of him at last, she admitted that a great weight had lifted and she could finally breathe.

Having told her tale, she sat back as I told mine. I won't go into details but as you know, over the course of two years, Hawke and I did odd jobs throughout Kirkwall to raise money for an ill-fated expedition into the Deep Roads with my brother. Though it left us rich, it left my brother insane and eventually I had to kill him. We'd been friends ever since and not once have I looked back.

We must have been talking for more than an hour because eventually, the storm passed us and Hawk, dripping and bedraggled, threw herself down next to me. "Find anything, Sweetness?" I asked as I shyly kissed her cheek. She turned her head at the last minute to make it her lips I kissed instead. Okay, now this playfulness was something wonderful. If she was going to be this much fun now, without the intimacy, I couldn't wait to see what happened once we became lovers. I foresaw naked pillow fights in our future! (A man can dream, can't he?)

"Yes! A lot of useless junk, a sextant, quite a few gold coins, several gems and enough treasure to make me giddy like a silly girl being asked to her first dance," she said with a grin. "Oh and we found a map. It's a bit water-logged but useable. It seems we landed just west of West Hill, if I'm not mistaken. Either way, we need to head south. That's where civilization lies and that is where a hot meal and a warm bed await us," she explained as she showed me the map.

I kissed her cheek again and together we rose to our feet. I was still a bit light-headed but I wasn't sure if that was from the concussion or the new chapter in my life that I was about to embark upon. As we walked, I noticed that Hawke was attentive but otherwise the same old Hawke. I half-expected my Champion to start fawning over me but no, she wasn't doing that. Instead, my Lady was herself, exactly herself and nothing less or more. It was refreshing to see her laugh and pick on me as she always had. But there was one change I noted, one change I liked; she was touching me a LOT more. The caresses were random and unexpectedly casual. It was nice feeling her hands on my shoulders, in my hair or on my back. I'd never noticed it before but damned if I don't like being touched.

We traveled like this for two days before we finally arrived at "civilization". It wasn't much. West Hill isn't large and it boasts a village and castle and a lot of farms. Even so, after a diet of fish, squirrels and weeds, I was happy enough to lie in bed of straw as long as the building itself was made from solid wood and the food was cooked in an actual kitchen. Actual ale would be nice, too, with actual stone floors of an actual inn. Okay, I admit I was asking way too much but I may have said this before: I hate being away from the city. Civilization, even if it's a poor substitute, beats roughing it any day of the week.

Even though she was loath to play on her fame, Kye pulled our bedraggled group with her to the castle and requested the Bann himself. Bann Franderel looked at us with wide eyes. We were an odd group; two human ladies, a very young elf and beardless, sun-scorched dwarf all looking like the very wreckage we'd pulled ourselves from days earlier. It was a wonder he let us in at all but Kye's reputation as the savior of Kirkwall had preceded her, even here.

As they escorted us inside, away from the rain that had once again begun in earnest, Kylea nudged the man with her elbow. "Forgive me but I would really like to keep my survival out of the ears of gossipers. I'm rather enjoying being dead, if you catch my drift."

Bann Franderel laughed as he showed us inside the ancient Keep. I'd heard that this place was haunted but so far, all it was was cold and hollow. There was a lot of history tied up with this place, especially for those born before or during Ferelden's break with Orlais. I wanted to know more!

"So you are saying that for one night you don't want to rub elbows with the Teyrn of Highever or the Hero of Ferelden herself? They're visiting, you know." Ooo! He was teasing her! Nice job! I watched for her reaction and that was to curl her fingers tightly around mine. I nudged her so that she would look down at me. I nodded very deliberately and smiled. "Yes! _I_, I mean _YOU_ must meet the hero of Ferelden", my expression told her.

She kissed the top of my head in thanks and nodded, her eyebrow raised. "I guess I must then. So much for staying dead a bit longer. Ah well. But sadly, we were washed ashore and nothing decent to wear. We would gladly pay you for a change of clothing if someone can fetch it for us. I don't dare go shopping looking like this." My poor, bedraggled yet dignified Hawke. Though she was far from a "fashionista", she still understood the benefits of turning heads during formal dinners.

The Bann gave us a good-natured smile as he gestured for us to follow a servant. This woman was clearly in charge of the house and all but pushed us down into the guest wing of the castle. "We have a full house this week what with the queen and her brother visiting. She travels very light, much to the ire of her personal guard. She even left her babies at home with others to care for them. She's very much like you, I gather. Anyway, we can only spare two rooms. One is a fine suite while the other is a bit smaller but lovely. Beds can be moved about to grant sleeping privacy if you like. Shall I make arrangements?"

I slipped my arm around Hawke's waist as she pulled me close. "One room for us, no rearrangement of the beds will be necessary unless it's too small for two people. My companions will likely need separate rooms since they are not as close as Varric and I are," Kye said with a smile playing about her luscious lips. So it was really going to happen. She and I were going to actually share a bed and hopefully much, much more. I'm glad she was talking because yet again, she'd taken my ability to speak away.

The woman's grey eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks and looked at me, hard. "_The_ Varric? The Varric Tethras of Kirkwall? Your stories about the Champion are renowned! Oh you must regale the visitors tonight with one of your stories! Ah. Here we are… Baths are drawn and sweetened with honey, milk and lavender. Soap is of the same blend. You two can share this room, as it is befitting for someone of your stature. We will gladly go into the village to purchase a fine dress for the Lady and attire grand enough for the great Varric Tethras. Fear not! You will both shine. Now… You two come with me…"

"I'm famous!" I laughed as I entered the room and almost immediately peeled off my ruined coat and shirt. Kye took Bianca from me and carefully unwrapped her on the bed as I watched. Ahh. She was perfect! I raised her and gently tested the lever that opened the tension rods and grinned as Bianca came to life in my hands. "Well, my girl's in great shape, now isn't she? I owe that elf a shit-load for this." I looked up at Kye, who was now seated on the bed, her smile one of warmth and amusement. She looked exhausted.

I hopped up next to her and rested my cheek against her shoulder. "I could sit like this all day… But that bath-water is going to get cold so…" I winked at her, "…join me?" I hoped I wasn't being too bold but how else was I going to ask? She nodded and stood before me, her slender body lit up by the bright flames of the fire that danced in the fireplace against the wall facing her. Shadows played across her, teasing me with suggestions of what lay under her shredded robes. I could see hints of that mysterious dragon tattoo peeking through, teasing me. I licked my lips as she hooked one finger under the left strap of her robe and let the fabric fall loose down her arm. She then hooked her finger under the right strap. I swallowed hard as I watched the fabric fall away from her body and pool at her bare feet. Maker's breath…she was beautiful!

My eyes traveled from her feet and up her shapely calves and to her thighs. She was wearing a small triangle of fabric at her groin but that too joined her dress, revealing a small crown of dark curls. The clawed foot of the red dragon tattoo rested near it, drawing your eyes there. The long, highly stylized tail wrapped around her thigh twice before joining the body as it ran along her whole right side. Its clawed fore-foot reached for her ribs and the neck arched around so that the head was poised above her small, upswept right breast, its maw open just above her hard nipple. The dark, red point was pierced with a small, gold hoop, from which a single flawless ruby gleamed. She fingered that breast, my eyes feasting on it surely as the dragon wanted to. "Well? Do you like the tattoo? Zevran, the former Crow we helped, did it for me a year or so back. Don't ask any questions because I will say, 'yes we did,' as my answer and leave it that."

"You're, I mean,_ it_ is amazing. It suits you perfectly. I'm sure it took more than one visit, though…" I said with a teasing wink. She raised an eyebrow as a tacit warning and I laughed nervously. Okay…my turn to strip. I had never felt this self-conscious before. And it's not like I was a virgin. I'd been with plenty of women, mostly humans but I'd never felt this terrified in my life. Not even that night when Isabella seduced me for the fun of it. I felt like I was being put on display for her amusement but when I finally got my pants down to the floor and myself as naked as she, I saw no amusement in her eyes. There was only affection reflected in her gaze and within moments she had her arms around me, holding me tightly against her body. Together, we entered the room with the bathtub and I was excited at the size of it.

Milky water scented with crushed purple flowers greeted us as we gingerly stepped into the hot water. Even after all this time, it was still warm enough to make our chilled bodies flinch. I lay back against the wall of the tub and Kye curled up against me, her fingers running up and down my body. She sighed contentedly. "So this is what it feels like…" she murmured against my neck. My hands stroked the soft skin of her arm as I held her against me.

"Hmm?" I said dreamily, my lips against her thick curls. Even our hair was sandy, I realized, almost laughing.

She somehow managed to mold her body more closely to mine as if seeking to merge us into one. "We fit together like puzzle pieces. You may be a dwarf and I may be human but my opinion is that we were designed for each other…" she murmured against my throat. I tightened my arms around her and sighed. She was right! I too was rather amazed and I enjoyed the way our bodies fit so perfectly together. Granted, I was a bit shorter than she was but lying here in the bath like this, there was no tall or short. Height didn't matter all, in fact. What did matter was how wonderful she felt in the circle of my strong arms and how wonderful I felt being held by her in return. "This is what love really should feel like," she continued. "There's no rush to impale myself on you. No jealousy. No fear. Just…joy." Pleased, I tilted back her chin with a tender caress of my fingertips and then I brushed my lips against hers, my tongue making lazy circles around her mouth as I kissed her softly, longingly. Her arms went around my neck.

After a bit more of those wondrous lips, I laughed and pushed her off of me. The water was getting cool and I still had sand clinging to my scalp! "Hawk, you're a devious distraction! I think I got in this tub to bathe, not just fool around with Kirkwall's most eligible bachelorette. Not that I'm complaining but I'm fairly meticulous about my appearance. Sandy, salty hair is not appealing to me at all."

She rose to her knees, smiling sweetly as she took the bar of soap and rubbed it into a froth between her hands. "Here… Let me help you then…" and because she "helped" by facing me, my nose scant inches from those perfect, pointed breasts, I found myself even more distracted than I'd been before. But that was before the real magic began.

To say that Hawk was gifted with her fingers would be a true understatement. To say that she was extremely talented was simply not true. To suggest that she could work miracles… Yes, that was closer to the truth. Those fingers massaged away my cares, dug the grit, clotted blood and salt from my blond locks and showed me that bathing with a woman was not only good for the soul but a necessity in a man's life. She moved around behind me, using her height to my advantage and I leaned against her breasts with a dreamy sigh and eyes closed with the biggest grin you ever saw on my lips. She would later remark that I looked like a cuisine connoisseur who'd just eaten the most gluttonous dish he'd ever tried. Indeed, I was as far removed from myself as I'd ever been.

She poured fresh water into my hair, rinsing away the ravages of our ordeal. Soon, she was washing my body with the same diligence she gave my hair and when I say she was thorough, I do mean that she was very thorough. No part of my anatomy was left un-scrubbed by her faithful attention to detail. Even though it was just a bath, it was the best damned bath I'd ever taken. I doubt I'd ever been cleaner in my life and I'm pretty much a neat-nik when it comes to my appearance.

Smirking, I attempted to return the favor. Even though she leaned against me, practically purring with pleasure, I still felt awkward as I carefully washed her. I was as thorough as she was but I thought I lacked the sensuality of her delightful scrubbing. She didn't seem to mind though and, in fact, she seemed very happy with me. I wondered if she was just being sweet but when I was finished, Kye held me as if I was the most precious thing in the world to her. In that moment, when nothing else mattered but us, _she _was the most precious thing in the world to _me_. I'm not usually a romantic shit but I was close to flinging rose petals around and declaring my love of her from the tops of the Keep's battlements during that moment. Close, mind you. I do have a reputation to uphold.

To be continued…

There's more romance coming, some action and…other things! Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Missing Chapter**

**By Varric Tethras**

**Part 6**

_Mmm. Chapter sex! Er, SIX! SIX! No sex here (yet) but a LOT of innuendo and heavy petting. Varric and Kye are getting dangerously close to that point of sensual no return. Also, I would like to thank _**Aimo** _for inspiring Varric's naughty "bodice-buster" novel, "Iron Enchantress". She has a series of book covers on her Deviant Art site that humorously reflect these scandalous writings of his. I would also like to thank Bioware for loaning Varric to me and all my Varric fan-girls (and boys) for your continued devotion to this story._

**The Hero of Ferelden**

With the bath done, we dried off and I stepped out into the bedroom with her. She smiled and nodded sideways, glistening curls bouncing, at the bed in an obvious invitation. I suddenly felt very small and shy as I stood there staring at the enormous bed. It was an invitation to lay with her, make love to her, and make all my dreams come true. But I was hesitating. What was I afraid of? Rejection? Surely not! Like all dwarves, what we lack in height we back up for in muscle, the size of our heads, the size of our feet, the size of hands and pretty much everything else is proportionate to that; all of it bigger than on a human, with ego to boot.

So it wasn't rejection I feared but rather the loss of innocence in our years-long relationship. Transition is always hard, especially when you are in love with your best friend. She then held out her hand to me and smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Varric. I won't abuse you…yet. But your lips look like they need…moistening a bit and since you're already naked, I see no sense in dressing just to cuddle like we were doing in the bath tub. So, join me?"

Ah, but Hawk saw right through me every time. She knew I was nervous and she knew why I was nervous. That I was nervous made me, well, nervous. Beautiful women and I had never had a problem merging bodies in the past but suddenly I get next to _this_ beautiful woman and I become a kid about to cop his first feel. I guess that's what love does to you. It's pointless, senseless and wonderful all at the same time. I drew courage from it and hauled myself onto the bed with her where she gently rolled me onto my back and proceeded to kiss me gently. Her hands tentatively explored me even as mine, clumsy and unsure at first, teased their way into exciting new places.

There was no rush to make love. We had time. We had a lot of time. Dinner would be served in due time and when it was ready, we would be ready and whether we'd given into our lust by then or not was not an issue. Soon, I had her on _her _back. I lifted myself above her, my chest gently pressed against hers but my weight carried by my arms as I lowered myself to embrace her lips with mine in a hot dance of tongue and mouth. For a moment, we were almost carried away by the pleasure we experienced during that kiss until a knock alerted us to the arrival of our new clothes. Reluctantly, we parted bodies and I rolled off of the bed to answer the door. After donning a towel to give myself some modesty, I peered out into the hall to see who was there. As a matter of fact, nobody was there but there was a neat pile of clothing on the floor, which I whisked away inside very quickly. Kye laughed as my "modest covering" fell to the floor, briefly exposing everything I had to anyone roaming the hall at that moment. I closed the door and red-faced, I flattened my back against it.

She was lying on her stomach, her chin perched upon her open palms and those mesmerizing amethyst eyes dancing merrily at me. If she hadn't been so damned gorgeous, I'd have made an obscene gesture at her. Then she pushed herself up and threw her long legs over the edge of the bed, giving me a fine view of her. Moments later, she was by my side and rifling through the clothing. The scent of her was an intoxicating blend of sex, lavender and sweet honey. I found myself unable to ignore the desire I felt and turned to her. "Remind me why we didn't do this before?"

"We're idiots. Thank Andraste we wised up, eh?" she laughed with a playful kiss to my nose.

I turned back to the items before us. Whoever had gone shopping must have watched us or studied us or somehow otherwise figured us out because the clothes they left behind were exactly perfect for both us and the evening. My attire could not have been more spot-on if they had viewed what I liked to wear on a regular basis. Comfort and style was my usual and they got the comfort down with an upgrade in style. I especially liked the gold-threading around the sleeves and hem of the shirt, which sported a low neckline that could be made lower by tugging a few of the laces that started about three-quarters down the front. In rich blue satin trimmed in brilliant, scarlet brocade and embroidered with fine, gold threading, I felt every bit the "Merchant Prince" I'd become with Bartrand's unfortunate demise. The coat they gave me was a heavy sued that was as soft and flexible as it was thick. The boots appeared to be a matched set with the coat. I grinned at myself in the mirror, suitably impressed by the handsome visage I saw. I tied back my hair and turned to ask Kye's opinion but my tongue got caught somewhere between my throat and my stomach.

She stood before me in a long, loose flowing gown of silver-threaded silk. It consisted of multiple layers of gossamer fabric that swirled like a dark-blue flow of shallow sea water. It matched my shirt almost perfectly and sparkled like the sky at dusk and was cut low to just above her waist, flowing over the twin mounds of up-turned flesh that whispered sweetly to me of things yet to come. From behind the thin veil of fabric, the dragon teased as it wrapped around her right breast. I licked my lips and I forced my eyes to meet her laughing gaze; those wonderful violet eyes dazzling me from the dark kohl that lined them in mysterious shades of black and sparkling sapphire. Above her dark brows, she had her black hair studded with tiny jewels that glittered like stars from amid her abundant curls. Wrist cuffs in silver and faux jewels lined her arms and wrists, making her look every bit a princess from some exotic place. Indeed, it seemed that whoever had garbed us, intended us to look like royalty.

She leaned forward until our mouths met and entwined in a luscious kiss that was moist with our desire. I felt her hand caress my chest, her fingers running through the soft hair that covered it. "Mmm… Ladies just can't resist the chest hair," I murmured with a contented smirk. She giggled and allowed me to lay her arm along mine and escort her from our room and down the corridor to where a servant bowed respectfully at his waist.

"My Lord, My Lady, if you will but come with me, I will see you to the Gather where Bann Franderel awaits you along with his guests. We have a wonderful feast planned and a wine-tasting that will tempt the most discriminate palate," the man said with enthusiasm. We followed him and listened to him as he accidentally revealed the true motive behind the Bann's insistence that we join him this eve. It turns out that there was some political wrangling going on.

We had arrived on a most auspicious evening; an evening in which gathered nobles were dining with him and could help him fund a new keep, one less haunted and more welcoming to his people. As it was, merchants avoided the place as if it were plagued. We were…how shall I put it? The surprise "creature-feature". He fully intended to show us off and brag about the Champion of Kirkwall being in attendance at his dinner and that it must fate predestined by the maker yadda-yadda etcetera. I almost wanted to grab Hawk's hand and drag her back up to our room. But we were going to meet Ferelden's Hero-Queen so… We continued to follow.

When we arrived, we were instantly greeted by our host who ushered us in; he was practically glowing with pride. It reminded me too much of dinners with my extended family, who, because of my natural talent for keeping our assets and our profile afloat, swelled with inflated importance. I tended to speak to those most important to me and leave after grabbing a few bites. I doubted I would be afforded that luxury now.

Hawk radiated serenity and grace far above her station and nodded politely as people stopped her to ask questions or compliment her. She smiled to everyone and bowed at her waist to a few even as she expressed her own sense of well-deserved self-importance. She was the Champion. She had saved an entire city not once but twice. She wanted these people to understand that though a lady now, she was supremely suited to leaving a swath of writhing (or previously writing) bodies in her wake. Competence and nobility were her strong suits but along with those, she was possessed of great compassion. It was that that had endeared her to Sebastian…and to me.

She could sense my desire to leave this rabble of stuffed-shirts and squeezed my hand. Empowered, I looked up and smiled at her as I mouthed, "I love you," to her. She winked at me slyly and then leaned in close to whisper something deliciously scandalous into my ear. I blushed and smiled broadly. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be so bad after all, I decided.

At this point in the dinner, everyone was drinking wine, eating hors d'oeuvres and chatting softly. It was a staging area; a place and time for the nobles to greet one another and make necessary connections and reconnections. I'm certain at least one bride-offer was made and several underhanded deals struck. I overheard one of those deals and leaned in, whispered something suggestive to the man about to get the short end of the deal. His eyes widened and he quickly countered his business associate with my suggestion. Satisfied, I decided that my good deed for the day was done and I could relax now. Except that I couldn't relax. Standing before me was perhaps the most striking woman I had ever seen.

Hawk was carelessly beautiful. Isabella was exotic. The red-headed beauty with her dazzling blue-green eyes that danced above a sly grin was art. Her hair was shoulder-length and unpretentious as the rest of her in its simple, swept-back style. The gown Ferelden's Queen wore was elegant, off the shoulders and in layered velvet and satin in shades of gold and green. Her jewelry was austere and she wore no crown or anything to signify her standing in the land. "My friends, I would like to introduce you to Elissa, Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden and her que-" our host began proudly as he bowed deeply to her.

"Not tonight, my lord. Tonight, I am merely Elissa: Grey Warden and sister to Teyrn Fergus Cousland. Now, I believe we can make our own acquaintances, if you don't mind." She waved her hand at the Bann in a kind "shoo" gesture that made me grin. I liked this woman immediately. As interesting as King Alistair had been, I understood now whom the people loved the most and why he was so infinitely popular among the common folk; simply, the man had excellent taste in women. It helped also that he was as simple and unpretentious himself, just like his beautiful wife.

I took her hand and kissed her fingers softly. "My Lady…" I said as I looked up at her with my most charming smile.

"Ahh. You must be Varric Tethras, writer and poet extraordinaire. I'd heard you were constantly by the Champion's side and I am pleased to find the rumor true. And lovers too, it would seem! You match perfectly together, if I may be so bold to say."

Lovers? How could she tell we were lovers without having snuck into our bedroom? Had she? The thought was a bit uncomfortable so I brushed it aside as I practically gushed. A fan! Intrigued, I leaned in close to her and asked, "So, you've heard of me? Even all the way over here in Ferelden?" If I didn't know myself better, I'd swear I was basking in the light of her attention. Okay, I admit it; I _was_ basking. Hey, it's mightily flattering to have a queen, much less the hero who saved us all from the Blight, as a fan.

She laughed and laid her hand on my shoulder. Judging from Hawk's amused expression, I must have looked like a love-sick ass as I preened under Elissa Thierin's admiring smile. "Heard of you? Half the educated folk in Ferelden have read at least one of your works! Indeed, when Alistair and I built the Denerim Library, which is public for anyone who has a yen for books of all kinds and no stifling Chantry control, we _had_ to grant you your own section and multiple copies of your most popular tales. I must confess that I especially loved 'Iron Enchantress'. I was reading it before bed every night for more than two weeks! Oh, but you do know how to detail a woman's pleasure!" I could see her eyes narrow as she recalled the sordid "bodice buster" I'd written about five years back. I hoped she wouldn't give away the plot. "…Dwarf and a lovely human mage with violet eyes and black hair. The sex scenes were positively delicious!" she was telling Kye in hungry tones. Damn! Too late. Hawk looked down at me; her amusement was now an expression of bemusement.

"Ahh… I…" I started to explain. I failed.

"Black hair? Violet eyes? A mage? Really, Varric? And in the Deep Roads, no less? And why did I never read it?" she asked, a grin tugging at her lips. Elissa seemed on the verge of exploding with laughter. By now, my flushed face and whatever expression I wore had both women fighting for control of their yearning to explode hysterically at my expense. I tried to say something and then my eyes caught sight of a young serving girl bearing a tray of appetizers.

I pounced on her, exclaiming, "Oh look! They have cheese!" as I escaped the dancing eyes of the two lovely ladies who'd been taking great pleasure at my inability to communicate my inability to explain why I never showed her the book. It was personal, actually. A fantasy I never thought in a million years would ever come true. So I made her a Grey Warden and myself a regular Dwarf (no beard, of course) and, well, add whatever torrid sex scenes you can imagine and turn up the heat starting with a scene where I (the Smith Caste Dwarf, I mean) shoved her up against an iron vein and nailed her. It wasn't just a sex romp; there was genuine love and affection but I'd left out nothing. I do mean nothing. It was erotica and it had sold like nothing I'd ever written. Keeping it out of Hawk's hands had been a monumental challenge that had succeeded until now. Judging from the smiles I kept getting as I stuffed my face with bacon-rolled bits of sharp cheddar, Elissa must have been explaining it in great detail.

Maker's breath but I loved that woman and I was certain that I was doomed to not to survive the night. Well, I amend that. I would physically survive but my dignity was destined to die in a burst of flames. At least it would be spectacular, I told myself with another piece of cheese. Being tongue-tied was not something I was used to. So far, Hawk and now Elissa, had made me utterly dumb-struck several times during this trip and I had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

Both ladies approached me, knowing smiles on their faces. I was taken arm in arm between them as dinner was announced. Daintily, the nobles filed into the fine dining room with noses lifted in an expectation of the wonders they were about to be served. Elissa had explained excitedly the cook here in West Hill was an amazing woman who could coax the most wonderful flavors out of the blandest foods. Here, fish was abundant but not much else so the people ate a lot of fish. It helped to know just how it should be served and with what. Evidently, it was a gift this woman was quite proud of. I was greatly curious as to just how one could improve on one of my least favorite foods. I tended to prefer good, solid red meat, after all. If they could get me to enjoy fish, well, I would have to make up something suitable to bet upon but my luck was poor at the moment so I held back.

"Please join me by my side, both of you?" the Queen said earnestly.

"Oh, My Lady, we would never wish to assume the seat of a…" Kye began, her head shaking.

"Nonsense. I may not be sprouting nobility from my ass right now but all these folk know who is Queen and what the Queen wants, the Queen gets. I am not above reinstating my own airs to bolster my position and achieve my goals. Watch…" She turned to the man and his wife who were about to seat themselves and apologized with a sweet smile. "Lord Toth, would you mind terribly if Kirkwall's Champion and her partner took these seats to my left? Oh, you are too kind! Thank you so much. That road you needed repaved is as good as done. I'll send out workers as soon as I return to Denerim." She smirked back at us and said, "See? Now go ahead and sit. We have so much to discuss." I looked across the table at Fergus, the Queen's brother and smiled helplessly at him.

"Come sit by me, Varric. This way, the ladies can discuss Darkspawn entrails while we happily chat about other things. Trust me… Darkspawn entrails and fish really do not mesh well together," he said with a chuckle.

So I sat on the other side of Highever's Teyrn with both himself and Elissa between Hawk and I. I wanted to be by her side but I decided that having her so near would be too much of a distraction. Besides, I found Fergus to be an interesting man. He was older than Elissa by almost ten years but he acted with much less seriousness that I would have expected. His son and first wife had been among Arl Howe's first victims, slaughtered with impunity as they lay sleeping. It was heart-rending to hear about but Fergus had moved on and now had a new wife and two small children.

As we ate our salad and bread, we talked about happier subjects. He asked me all kinds of questions about so many things, I felt my head spinning. He wanted to know about Kirkwall, the city-states, the nobility about the Free Marches in general and he wanted to know about Hawk. "Ask Hawk," I replied smugly.

"'Ask Hawk' what, Varric?" the subject of our discourse asked with eyebrows raised and her fork poised just in front of her mouth. That lovely, luscious mouth with those full lips and that sweet pink tongue… I licked my lips as I fantasized kissing that mouth.

After shaking my head clear of that delicious day-dream, I leaned back behind Fergus and winked at her from across the distance that separated us. "Teyrn Cousland is being nosy. I told him to ask you about you."

"Oh! What do you want to know, My Lord?" she said politely as I cleaned up the last of my salad. Within moments, Fergus was asking her questions about everything from her childhood in Lothering to her abilities as a fighter. Specifically, he wanted to know how she had become Kirkwall's Champion. With the main course (an amazingly spiced fish that was stuffed with crab and scallops then baked in oil) served, Hawk and I began a kind of joint tale where I started and she continued then I picked up where she left off. We did this without missing a beat; our ability to complete one another's statements was spot on and so perfect it startled me. Between the two of us, we managed to tell the entire tale during our meal. It was no surprise that many of the other notable guests at the table were listening and asked questions of their own.

"So, you are an apostate?" one nosy ass asked her.

"Technically, I suppose, but I have been given, shall I say, a 'pass' by the Templar Leadership in Kirkwall and the Knight Commander for leading the fight against the chaos that almost destroyed the city," she explained truthfully and diplomatically. The same lord who initially asked the question wasn't satisfied, however.

"I hear that the Blight was caused by Malificarum. If you allow one mage to function outside the circle, does this not imply that all should be free from oversight? How is it you were not captured long before?" I was getting pissed by this self-righteous bastard pointing fingers at my Champion. I opened my mouth to answer him with piss and vinegar but Elissa spoke first, much to my relief.

"Lord Frellin, is it? Allow me. As the one responsible for ending the blight and having spoken to the one who awoke the Arch Demon which started the Fifth Blight, I am happy to report that no Malificarum were involved whatsoever. Wherever you heard that, it's rubbish. But simply being a mage who is untrained by the circle does not instantly brand one a malificar. I have known plenty who simply avoided notice by surviving on their wits or living in remote places. Some eventually turn to the Circle while others avoid it still. Blood Mages happen because bad people happen but not every mage has the potential or the desire to use blood magic or to even simply be a bad person. I can say from experience that most mages who dwell outside the Circle are good people who wouldn't hurt anyone unless they deserved it." The queen smiled darkly at him with an expression that stated very clearly that she was finished with him.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty-" he began, his damnable determination swiftly wearing us thin.

"-which you are clearly insincere about giving but please, continue…" she interrupted sweetly.

"…mages cannot be expected to do the right thing, always. They wield terrible power, which must be controlled at all costs. This mage, hero or not, should not be above any other mage who must be trained properly and her blood drawn in case she should go rogue. That she is yet allowed unfettered freedom…" I was about to drive my fist through that shit-head's face. I'd had enough. I rose to my feet and made a move in his direction when Fergus stayed my arm. Elissa was standing again and this time she was frowning, the smile gone from her face and all pretense of respect wiped away. This was Ferelden's famous Warden Commander and her queen and she was about to demonstrate just how she'd led entire armies in the fight against the Blight. I sat back down, hungry for her words…

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Missing Chapter**

**Part 7**

_Well, Varric-Romantics, your wish has come true. Varric and Hawke at least together… In other words, there is a lot of romance in this. Varric avoided MOST details but he left enough to tantalize. If you folks want the un-edited scenes, Varric's willing to share them though he may change names to protect the guilty… So, you're warned about the sex. There's language too and… I know that the mage codex states that Hawke stayed home to take care of the family while Daddy and Brother ran off to fight the war. Well, for drama, I have modified things a bit. Kye's not one to sit a home and baby-sit. I wanted a view of the war from someone who lived through it._

* * *

**A Passionate Beginning**

"You strain my patience, Bann Frellin!" Elissa Theirin was saying in angry tones. "Stay your tongue before it gets twisted to the point of no return. This woman is a visiting dignitary, an ambassador from the Free Marches who is a guest of our country and our host tonight. Disrespecting her disrespects him and that in turn disrespects your Queen and your King and country by association. In other words, I will not tolerate this insult longer and neither will your peers." I heard a chair scrape the floor and I watched with raised eyebrows as my stunning Champion rose to her feet.

Her expression was one I had only seen a few times in the ten-plus years I'd known her and the last time I saw it, a certain Healer died. "Your Majesty, thank you but this fool needs to hear the answer from me. Whether or not he listens or cares is not my concern but this he must hear.

"I was born in Lothering. When the call went out to join the army, I was a girl of eighteen with a few sword skills and not much more. I was unaware that I had inherited my powers yet, though Bethany, younger than I by two years, had come into her gifts long before. Granted, there had always been something 'off' about my strengths and father often wondered out loud if we might have yet another mage in our family. But I fought magic; I was fully in denial that I could be anything like him or my younger sister! To this day, I wield weapons that look nothing like traditional mage-staves because for me, it has always been a burden, if a useful one.

"It was after I turned nineteen that, during the battle of Ostagar, the grim reality of my gift bore fruit; I managed to set a large group of soldiers on fire! But where I stood, using magic and my sword to fight the hordes that marched upon us, I watched our king die due to betrayal by Teyrn Loghain. We soldiers knew why our king died. Many of us watched the torches of his arm simply turn and move away, leaving us to the mercy of the Darkspawn and each other. Then I turned and Father was writhing on the ground at my feet, a Darkspawn blade through his chest.

"I held him to me as he died for his country, for his family…for you. He was an apostate. He was a mage who loved his wife and children with everything he had but protecting his family meant more than fleeing to another country. No. We Hawkes are 'doers'. We don't sit and ignore what is taking place and let the fates decide for us; we decide for fate what will happen instead. We shape it to our wishes and coincidence be damned. But with father dead, I was the new head of our household and I fled, fleeing the dying army and the swarm of Dark Spawn that devoured even the living, with father's body draped around my shoulders…"

"You deserted your king…!" the jackass accused, pointing at Hawke. I rose to my feet and pointed at him in return. In the loudest, maddest voice I had, I said, "_Sit the fuck down, _My _Lord_! She's still talking and I, for one, am riveted." Of course I was riveted; she was the woman I'd been following like a love-struck puppy for ten years. I might have been just a bit biased. Maybe. I turned and smiled fondly at my lady as I bowed dramatically to her. "My Sweet, you may continue."

She blew me a playful kiss as she continued. "I did not 'desert'. The battle of Ostagar was lost and to save my life and the lives of others, we fled a hopeless situation made more hopeless by the loss of our king. I saw it all. I watched Cailan die! And I knew him well. We drank together, him and me, along with others of his army. He would laugh and give us such hope and pride that it was impossible not to believe we would defeat this thing. He alone understood it was a true Blight but he was overconfident and proud. And his worst offense was trusting too much. I suppose that was part of Cailan's charm, though. He had faith that those he surrounded himself with would be capable of doing the task set out for them. He never once doubted Loghain's loyalty.

"So I went home to Lothering to get mother and my twin siblings out of the village because the Horde was surging north. There, we buried father and tried to decide what our next step was; where we should go and what we should do. Our quaint little village had been abandoned by her Lord and was directly in its path. We knew there was nothing more we could do but to pack what little we could and flee. We Hawkes, all of us, are strong and brave; we are survivors.

"The rest, well, you can read Varric's stories about me but from there, my family and I fled to Kirkwall where now only my brother and I continue to survive. I never had a chance to join the Circle and I was terrified of what would happen if I did since the Templars had become so deadly powerful. They would have made me tranquil and though I still dislike being a mage, not being able to feel is a much less appealing proposition to me.

"In the end, the reason I remain free of the circle is because I believe I can do the most good the way I am now. I don't care that you disagree, Ser. What matters is that my family loves me, my friends love me and my lover loves me and it is their opinions that matter most. Opinions are like assholes in that whatever scent you use to mask the smell, it still smells like shit to me."

Around us, the dining room erupted in a shower of thunderous applause. Even those who disagreed with her initially seemed to be standing with excitement. She had just made an impression on a fair portion of Ferelden's Bannorn this night and even I was pleased by her colorful use of the language in doling out her opinion of Frellin's thoughts on mages.

I rose from my seat and walked over to her, my eyes intent on hers. She raised an eyebrow in askance and I puckered my lips and closed my eyes in return. Giggling, she leaned forward and kissed me softly at first and then she wrapped her arms around me and made the kiss even deeper. This earned us a few startled gasps from the prudes and a couple of folks even clapped. A human and a dwarf! Scandalous! And because it seemed so scandalous, I refused to let go even when she tried to pull away. That resulted in scattered laughter. I was hoping that dinner would soon be over because I really wanted to see that dragon again…up close and personal. "Way to go, Sweetness. You showed that nug-humper just who you are and why I chose you specifically to join me on Bartrand's expedition," I murmured to her softly.

The rest of the evening was thankfully drama-free. At one point, after Fergus retired to his rooms, Elissa nudged Kye with her elbow. Her eyes were narrow slits and her smile was naughty. "So…tell me… Varric's your lover, yes?" she drawled.

Kye grinned at me as I was now seated beside her. "Sort of," I answered.

"'Sort of?' I'm wondering what sex is like with a dwarf, having never been in a position to try it. My husband and I are lenient with one another's sexual proclivities and he encourages experimentation to an extent. Looking and touching are just fine. Avoid emotional entanglements and no secrets, are our rules." It suddenly dawned on me through the haze of wine that flowed through my veins that she was hitting on us! My eyes very nearly fled their sockets and I about had to pick up my jaw and replace it when I realized that. "So? What's it like?"

Kye looked very nervous and seemed shy as she looked back at me. I touched her arm and nodded for her to answer the question. I knew what she would say. I knew her that well. "Well, I don't know yet. That's why he said, 'sort of'. We've, ah, 'exchanged gifts'. We've looked into our 'boxes' and we've decided we like the, ah, 'gifts' and even played with them a bit but the…the parts that get 'tried on' haven't been, eh, 'tried on' yet. We were too tired, too dirty and too much in awe to do more than hold each other."

"If I ever need a metaphoric way of describing _not_ having sex, you're hired, Sweetness," I chuckled to her. Ah, my clever Champion!

"Well, if you decide that you need another body in the mix, let me know. Your first time is sacred so I won't interfere with that but… I am still curious about what sex with a dwarf, particularly _that_ dwarf, is like." With that said, she grinned and shooed us away as she turned back to the sweet remains on her plate. Dessert had been a dreamy confection that had a topping of rich whipped cream drizzled with chocolate. The cake itself was made with whipped cheese I was told. It had heightened our senses and made me tingle with desire. It seemed to have had that effect on many of our cohorts at the table and they had left looking content. Then again, it might have also been the effects of the sweet, addictive wine, which left us with a dreamy, heady feeling.

It was our turn.

I took Hawk's hand and, trying not to look too eager, I said, "Well, I guess we're finished here. Any suggestions, My Lady?"

She laughed and leaned forward to kiss me. "The bedroom, of course. I want to know myself what sex with a dwarf is like! Particularly _this_ dwarf…" I blushed and led her back to the room where, giggling, we locked the door and faced each other like we had done the first time. In our absence, someone had built up the fire, turned back the sheets and left water and wine on the table for us. Kye slipped a finger under each side of her sleeves and I watched the sparkling dress descend her body and land in a silken pile at her feet. My eyes slid up her body but lingered briefly on those perfect, smallish breasts and the red dragon that protected the right one before they continued up onto her face.

Holy…shit.

I'd made out like a member of the coterie on a soft target when I landed this lady. I was one lucky Dwarf, that's for sure. Eat this, Choir Boy! She's all mine! Then again, don't eat this… This dish is reserved for the dashing dwarf with the soft blond chest hair and rakish grin. I couldn't wait to dine.

Looking at her this time stirred my passion in a way it had not done before. It was, as she'd said earlier; we were just in no shape at all to do much more than hold each other. Yes, there had been eagerness to do more than that but what most would simply think of as great restraint on our parts was, in fact, us trying to come to grips with all that seemed to be happening all at once. And we had been sandy and exhausted; simply content to embrace what we had and explore a bit. Even the bath had only been slightly sexual. But now, everything was different. From the way she smiled seductively, invitingly to me to the kohl lining her eyes and the jewelry that gleamed against her skin to my strong need to be in her arms; this time it was if we were facing one another for the first time. Even the dragon seemed more amazing to me the way it curved sensuously along her side. There was a heightened sense of awe and lust that could not be denied! It was hunger and need coupled with such an up-swelling of emotion that I was left dumb once again. Her soft chuckle at my helplessness in her presence alerted me to the opportunity before my eyes. I grinned.

I threw off my coat, flinging it over the back of the nearest chair and undid my belt. My actions were hurried, desperate even but Kye smiled and stopped me from ripping off the lovely shirt. She gently lifted the hem and pulled it off of me as I obediently raised my arms. She then placed it neatly over my coat and then her arms went around my shoulders, my faced pressed against her breasts. Even pressed against her in this manner, I still managed to untie the front of my breeches and smirked as they fell to the floor. Her hand tilted back my head and her mouth enveloped mine in the most delicious, sensuous kiss I think I'd ever tasted. Kye was an amazing kisser anyway but this kiss floored me by its raw sexuality. The way she devoured my lips and tongue only intensified the erection I'd formed when she first dropped the dress. Fighting my lust, I did my best to reply in kind.

Slowly then, we backed away slightly so that I could explore her body with my hand. I ran it slowly up her thigh, along her hip and then I cupped that perfect right breast and watched the blood-red ruby "treasure" glitter in the bright light of the fire. I thumbed the nipple and then turned my attention to her unadorned left breast, which got long, lingering attention from my mouth. My right hand slipped around her and I playfully grabbed her ass. I heard her yelp and laugh. But then she pushed me back a bit so that she could slide down my body, her hand caressing my chest and her lips drawing in each nipple for a teasing taste. I thought her eventual goal was to place my breeches over the chair with the rest of my clothes but, no. In fact, what she was doing with her hand startled me. She tightened her fingers around my…

Okay, what happened here is entirely irrelevant to the continuation of the story. Needless to say, I got laid. She got laid. It was fun, exhausting and utterly the best sex I've had in my life. That's saying a lot! I've been with quite a few women, after all. The chest hair is a huge draw, you know. And being a surface dwarf means all but a few was human or elf. The female dwarves had left me feeling unsatisfied. Granted, they can be damn cute but compared to Kylea Hawke, nothing compares.

I can hear the moaning already from you perverts who want details such as what exactly I did with my tongue, my lips, my hands and, of course, the magic she made with her tongue. If you perves twist my arm, I'll write a chapter outside the story with all the nitty-gritty details you people like. I'm writing a romance here, not a bodice-buster, after all. Allow me to maintain some dignity, for crying out loud! And just in case you point out those sex-scenes from "Iron Enchantress", those were made up while this is real. It's harder to describe certain things when they're actually happening to you.

Where was I…? Oh yes. Later, much later, the fire burned lower in the fireplace and the bed had the look of having been molested by jumping children; the sheets entangled in our legs, the pillows all akimbo and part of the mattress exposed at the corner. We were bathed in sweat and curled up against one another, our lips entwined and her fingers curling in my soft, wet hair. "I love you, Hawk…" I breathed when our lips parted for a moment. "I wanted to tell you that so many times during our years as friends but I never knew how to say it."

She pushed me onto my back and laid her cheek against my shoulder. I folded my arms around her as I stroked her cheek with my fingers. "I know, Varric. You showed it in some ways but…"

"Sebastian?" I said softly. I felt her nod against me and then she raised herself so that I could look into her eyes. In the dark, red light of the fading fire, they seemed almost black.

"He was so much to me. But you never failed to be there for me. You never failed me at all. I knew you had feelings for me. I knew that if I answered them, you might happily give in. But how could I risk losing our friendship? It meant too much and too much was riding on us staying together as friends. And I loved you too, you should know. I have always loved you, for as long as I can remember, perhaps even since we first met." There was guilt and sadness in her voice and reflected in the expression on her face. I touched her, running my finger under her eye and down her cheek. I softly brushed my nose against her face, rubbing it lightly as my lips tenderly brushed her skin.

"Ahh. I wish I had known. And do you still love me?" I asked. I already knew the answer but the way she answered, by laying her mouth over mine and slipping her hand between my thighs was a much more pleasurable reply than a simple "yes". She had me in a very dangerous position and then surprised me by straddling my hips with hers. "Uh…again?" I said incredulously. I couldn't say how many times I'd pleasured her tonight but another time would surely leave us walking funny when we tried to get up in the morning. And I might have to forget about "getting up" at all.

Then she made it very clear that I had no choice in the matter. Not that I would have declined.

Dawn. Its light came through a window, lighting up the room on one wall. Facing me in my arms in a position that would have looked awkward to anyone looking at us was my Hawke. She seemed perfectly content there, her cheek snug against my shoulder and my arms completely enfolding her. I woke up this way so I assume I slept this way. I felt surprisingly refreshed though my head was still very sore. I nuzzled her and she came awake with a contented sigh. "Mmm. Last night was deliriously good. I take it none of it was a dream?"

"Nope. Not a bit. In fact, I think I may never walk again. How are you holding up?" I asked cheerfully.

"Good enough to see if I can get away with molesting you again…" she was teasing me and, laughing, I pinned her to the bed. Being bigger and stockier than her meant that I was also stronger and heavier. I may be a dwarf but I'm a lot tougher than I look. She couldn't move as a result. Not that she tried.

"Don't even think about it! You wore me out, you know. Not that I'm complaining but I really need a break. Sex with you is…exhausting! And amazing. You need to let a man catch his breath, woman!" But then her fingers trailed down my body and before I could stop her, she had managed to garner the required response from my body. I was ready as if we hadn't spent the entire night making love.

Shit. If this was going to be indicative of my future with my Hawk, I was screwed. Delightfully and repeatedly screwed.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Missing Chapter**

**Part 8**

_Sorry about the break for a while but Fenris distracted me. So sorry. Where were we… Oh yes… Varric was getting laid._

After I made love to her on the rug from behind, our passions jointly peaking as one voice of ecstasy, someone knocked on the door and a note was shoved under it. Gasping, I gingerly removed myself from her and somehow managed to creep over to the letter. She flopped over onto her back and stretched out, feline-like and fantastically naked. I dragged my weary body to lie alongside hers and opened the envelope containing the note. A small key fell out and into my palm. We read the note together, my head on her chest and her arms around me from behind. "Hmm. From Lady Salide! It says thank-you and that she was eager to see us one last time before she left with her betrothed but he was eager to leave with her. So as a reward, rather than gold, he seems to have a building down in Redcliffe that used to be a tavern, with an attached home and overlooks the water. It's vacant now but in exchange for us building it up and making functional again, he will let us stay there as long as we like. This is the key to it. Huh! A tavern! My own tavern… Things are looking up, wouldn't you say?" She nodded against me.

"So, we have a goal then, no? What was your original plan, besides escaping from Kirkwall long enough to get me over Sebastian and onto you?" she asked into my hair, her fingers rolling a lock of it as she teased me gently. "Or is that 'you _into_ me'?" she added with a giggle.

I rolled over and perched my chin right between her breasts, my arms around her. "My goal was Lothering, your former home. It still is but a tavern in Redcliff, overlooking Lake Calenhad is a much nicer destination for a long-term stay."

"Define 'long term', Varric."

"Hmm. As long as you like, Sweetness. That can be a month, two months, six months…a year or even two. I don't want to stay here forever but I'll stay flexible for you." That last bit would be more of a necessity than anything, both physically and figuratively, where my Hawk was concerned.

She exhaled as if she had been holding in a breath. "Ah. That's good. I was a bit worried there. I do love Ferelden but Kirkwall is my home now. Though I must confess that getting away from it all was such a wonderful surprise. I cannot thank you enough." I pushed myself up so that my lips covered hers and I closed my eyes as she responded. This was thanks enough in my opinion; just being allowed to hold her and kiss her was more than I had expected and a gift in its own right.

We kissed for a few minutes like that and after our red lips parted, we giggled and sat up on the floor. I leaned against her, my head on her shoulder as she hugged her knees. Her head leaned against mine and we sat like that in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "So, the boy… Dustin I believe his name is… He is too young to travel alone. With his brother dead, I suppose that it falls upon our shoulders to ensure he makes Denerim un-accosted. Your opinion?"

I grew sheepish as I hugged her loosely. "Well, Sweetness, there's this thing, you see. I sort of promised him that we would do that anyway for the very reasons you just outlined. You see, I may be a compulsive liar but I always keep my promises, for good or ill. I owe the kid big time. I'm glad you see the wisdom in that. You've always had a good head on your shoulders so I can never doubt you." She chuckled softly as she laid those soft curls against my forehead. The position was natural; relaxed. I was very content. "So…now that we have a loose plan of sorts…"

"…my favorite kind, your 'loose plans'…" she said through a grin.

"…what do you see becoming of us? I know we've been together as friends a long time but I can't help but wonder what the future will bring us. Things will change-_have_ changed! _We've_ changed. But what happens? I've been in love like this once but…it didn't last. I'm…admittedly nervous." Ah! There's an admission for the masses. Hawke knew this private tale and she understood all too well what I was talking about. She'd been there herself, after all.

I felt her body shift as she slipped her arms around me, protectively, I thought. "Whatever happens, whether as merely friends, lovers or both, we do everything in our power to stay close. Together if we can, for as long as we can," came her reply. She said her words into the top of my blond-haired head with strength and certainty that brought about a sense of relief from me. My loose hair curled around my shoulders as she buried her face in it. "Now, if you're thinking about the white picket fence and two point five children, well, that I cannot guarantee but everything else I am I eager offer to you."

"Hm. Such as?" I challenged.

"Story critiques and scientific research concerning just how long Dwarven males can remain sexually aroused and how often they can be brought to climax during one night or day of prolonged sexual activity. Oh and my excellent cooking…" Hah! That wicked woman!

"…HA!" countered I, on the subject of her cooking. She could ruin prepared food by simply looking at it as it sat in the pot.

"…my refreshing charm and easy demeanor…" continued she.

"…'easy'?" I queried with a smirk.

"…unfettered access to anything you can grab, kiss, fondle, taste and view…" she purred in my ear.

"Now we're talkin'…" I said, brows raised with sudden interest.

"…within reason," she finished.

Damn.

"Sound good?" she asked as I lay my head back in her lap. She leaned over me, dangling her perfect little breasts over my face. My smile nearly split my face in half as I reached up and caressed that which I now had full rights to play with as I saw fit.

"Mmm. No complaints from where I'm laying. You got a deal, Sweetness. Now that the sappy, sentimental bullshit's over, how about we find some food? Somebody abused my poor, shipwrecked body last night, over and over again and now I'm starving," I complained dramatically.

Just as dramatically, she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and sighed. "Oh, woe is the poor Dwarf! Such horrors that he had a woman groping and kissing and making passionate overtures toward his unsuspecting person and forcing him to engage in all manner of lustful, sinful acts against the Maker. What trauma he suffered at her hands! Oh, how shall he survive another night in her torrid embrace, I wonder?" Oh, Kye's good! She's better than good. I have taught my Champion too well. If she wasn't naked and my head in her lap with her breasts inches from my face, I'd have responded with something vulgar but as it was, I was mightily distracted.

We did eventually make it up off that floor and we soon found that clothing had been placed in the chest at the foot of the bed while we were at dinner the night before. So, "temptation" placed safely behind soft, supple leather with a teasing neckline and thick, flexible breeches, we set off for the kitchens to have breakfast. My hips were sore and my head still ached mightily from the blow that almost killed me but my mood was wonderful. I hadn't felt this alive in years! Kye laughed and kept her hands on me constantly. I confess that, being a bit selfish myself, I adored the attention. I gave back as good as I got so my Champion had a lot to smile about as we walked through the lengthy corridors of the Keep.

It was in the vast chamber of the kitchen where we found Elissa Theirin seated with Dustin. They were eating from a huge plate of food that contained sausages, sweet, maple bacon slices, fried potato wedges, scrambled eggs and buttery, fluffy biscuits. It was hot and teased me just as surely if Kye leaned over the right way. "Help yourself!" the Queen said with a smile. "The cook says it's for any of us who slept in. And how did you two sleep? Or did you sleep at all?" she asked slyly.

Grinning, I merely shrugged. "I'm up, I'm refreshed and I'm not walking bow-legged despite Kye's best efforts to the contrary. But you were right: the first time is sacred. Thanks for understanding."

Elissa laughed and patted Kylea on her shoulder. "He's not walking bow-legged? Dare I say that you didn't try hard enough?"

Kye shrugged and chewed on a thick sausage. I grinned, thinking back to the previous night's activities as I watched her suck on the sausage's rich juices. When had watching her eat become an erotic activity? I decided to use it immediately in my next book. "He needs to remain functional for various reasons, never minding that he's too heavy for me to just carry around," she said, smirking at me.

Laughing, Elissa pushed her way from the table and dug into her pack for something wrapped in leather. It was roughly book-shaped and the blood drained from my face as I thought about what it might be. "I was going to suggest the three of us dally today but alas, my husband is in Redcliffe, visiting family before he heads back to Denerim. I intend to intercept him and make the final few nights of travel much more pleasant. This is for you, Kylea. I finished reading it a few days ago and thought you might like to have it. There's a note inside. I do hope to see you again, my friend."

She cast me a significant look and left us alone with the barest of smiles teasing her lips. Kye was already unwrapping it eagerly. Smiling, tried to pluck it from her fingers but she evaded me by raising the book as she spun around. I Sighed as I noted the leather-bound covered, embossed with my name and the title in gleaming gold. It was just as I had suspected; "Iron Enchantress" glittered back at me as Kye giggled hysterically. "Bitch…" I muttered at nobody in particular. Kye was eagerly flipping through the book, reading sections of it while softly reading certain shocking passages aloud. I pressed my hand to my face and sighed deeply. Shit, shit, shit. She was going to tease me mercilessly when she got through reading it. I was doomed.

Distraction came in the soft voice of our young breakfast companion, whose presence I'd nearly forgotten about. "So, I've been reading about the history of West Hill. It's pretty amazing! King Marric had a pretty epic loss here during the War. They say it's haunted and that's why there are so few people here. They're afraid. Talking to Frandrel though, he says the veil is thin here and it's possible there may be ghosts but he thinks they're mostly harmless. He would like more trade for West Hill and to make it into the bustling port it once was but he can't fix the veil so he just deals with it. I wish there was something we could do. He's been very generous," the young elf said to no one in particular. I listened though, eyebrow raised and then I looked up at Hawke.

"Hey, you hearing this, Sweetness? You think you can mend a tear in the Veil?" Hawke looked down at me with a smile and pursed her lips. After a few thoughtful moments she sat back down and laid the book in her lap. This morning, she looked more like a seductive rogue rather than a mage in her dark leathers. Her staff was up in the room, her only weapons being her daggers. There was one at each hip, the sheathes trimmed in leather fringe and studded with faceted silver rivets. The line of her breaches tightly followed the sway of her hips and opened up along the sides, offering a teasing view of creamy flesh.

"It's magic I am fully capable of but I hadn't considered using before. I suppose there is no harm in trying but anything I do try could result in something or some things escaping while I work. You would have to fight them. Think Bianca's up to it?" She said with a smile. Her thick bangs fell into her eyes for a moment and she casually brushed them aside with a sweep of her long fingers. I loved that small gesture, along with the sweet smile that followed it.

I patted Bianca where she rested against my back and grinned. "We can handle anything!" I proclaimed.

**To Be Continued**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Missing Chapter**

**By Varric Tethras**

**Part 9**

_Sorry about the delay! I have been working a lot of hours. Hopefully this rather short, inoffensive chapter will be welcome to you readers. No sex that I am aware of but some violence of the magical sort. Enjoy!_

* * *

Eliminating demons and nasty spirits was something Bianca and I lived for. It was work of the kind we'd been doing for the better part of ten years and I was chomping at the bit to get going. Kye looked happily at me and me as she prepared to rise but paused as we both heard a sound. In the door of the kitchen was the young elf, his eyes bright and he wore a bow across his back.

"Can I come?" the boy asked softly. Kye and I both looked back at the kid, our eyebrows lifted in unison. As if we were noticing him for the first time, we sat staring at him. He had soft, dirty-blond hair that curled away from his face in gentle waves and large eyes that were, if anything, colorless. They weren't grey, they weren't silver and they weren't blue. I wondered why I had never noticed how striking they were 'til now. He was sitting at the table, hands folded in front of him and he gazed at me with those unblinking, strange eyes. He was dressed in a white cotton shirt tucked into dark-grey leather breeches. Dustin seemed very young but very wise as he watched us expectantly. "Please? I can use a bow and I have some level of knowledge of the Fade. I read…a lot."

I shrugged and looked at Kye. She nodded at me and together we nodded at Dustin. He smiled enthusiastically, his colorless eyes alight. "Thank you both so much! I've never been part of anything and my life in the Alienage these past years was awful. My brother was all about adventure and he wanted to get out of there and become a pirate or something but he needed to take care of me. He was biding his time until he could give me back to mother and then he would be free to live his life. But that doesn't mean I don't want to do something adventurous. Don't get me wrong! I would love to do some of the crazy things I've read about the Champion doing."

"Crazy, eh?" I chuckled to Hawke. "Don't believe half that shit."

Kye kissed my cheek and rose from the table after downing a cup of juice with a smooth toss of her head. "Let's go find this weak spot and see if we can't surprise the Bann with a swift end to his ghost problem," she said, tugging on my shirt. The three of us dropped our dirty dishes into a wash-tub and Hawke and I went into our room to fetch Kye's staff and some of my "special" bolts. She closed the door and took my hand.

"Uh…the kid's waiting…" I murmured as she pulled me onto the bed. Her cheek pressed against mine and her breath was warm against my cheek.

"While I am securing the Veil, you must watch Dustin very carefully. He is in danger of possession, I fear, because he has untapped magic that he's not even aware of having," she murmured against my mouth as she kissed me. My hand had somehow slipped into her shirt and my fingers fondled her breast without any consent from me. I felt Kye shudder with desire. My other hand was working its way down the front of her breeches and my seeking fingers found their goal with ease. I pushed her back against the bed and worked those two places that desired my finger's touch the most. I continued to kiss her slowly, sensuously.

"Right. Watch for demons, watch the kid, watch you. Now shut up and enjoy what you started."

"But…what about you…"

"Feh. This isn't about me, Sweetness. I'm all about pleasing you right now." Both hands worked her breasts and that wonderful place between her thighs as my mouth slid against hers. Soon, she sang the sweet music of passion that thrilled me to the bone and I refused to stop until the last convulsive shudder came to an end.

A few minutes later, we were leaving the room with our fighting gear and our cheeks flushed and our hair disheveled. Dustin was leaning against the wall with a grin. "Well, I guess you must have had to _search_ for your things, huh? Took quite an effort, I see!" Hah-hah. The kid was smart enough to guess what we'd been about but not wise enough to keep his mouth shut about it. "Don't worry. I didn't hear a thing, Sers!" he drawled with a roll of his eyes. I considered tripping him but I behaved myself. Barely.

After some time searching, Kye suddenly looked left. She waved her hand for us to follow, her staff held high and the crystal in its top emanating a soft, blue light. We were in a long-forgotten wing of the keep where the walls were barely held together by fate and a small bit of luck while the formerly grand tile floors were seeded with plant growth. It was dark here except where Kye's mage-light cut through the darkness or the fallen ceiling allowed the sun through. We twisted through the crumbling remains where vestiges of the Keep's sad past whispered to us from the grave. Sounds like voices speaking and men shouting filling the air around us. It was a bit like when Kye and I chased the idol that eventually killed Bartrand; that same haunted feeling we got. But this was different. It was less physical and more magical. It affected her badly and even the kid seemed awed and frightened by it. Me, it was like a building pressure, a feeling of wrongness that filled my soul. We were getting close.

At last we came to a majestic hall where memories of the past gathered like fallen leaves. I could see an echo of a man standing among his followers. He seemed upset, resigned and angry but his words tried to convey strength and encouragement. "We can fight these Orlesians back to their lands and take back what is ours. The keep must not fall, Warriors of Ferelden! But if it does, all is not lost. We are not going to back down to these pompous fools. They want a fight, we will give it to them!" As the voice trailed off, I realized it must have been King Marric trying to inspire his troops right before the battle that killed a thousand men and was lost to the Orlesians. The old King almost died that day but the history books say that his men dragged him to safety as they retreated.

I felt someone jerk the collar of my shirt, staggering me a bit. Shaking my head clear of the pervasive visions, I followed my companions to a place where a strange mist had gathered. I waved my hand through it and found it was bitterly cold and not like any fog I'd ever seen. "Here... The Veil is thinnest here. Varric, hold my staff for a moment." I felt the cool, smooth Verendhal wood pressed into my hand as she lifted both her delicate hands with her eyes closed. Her fingers touched the mist, swirling it gently around them as she "felt" the problem and assessed the damage. "A powerful mage summoned something to aid them in the battle here. The Veil was thin before but he split it accidentally. This mage managed to stitch it shut but did a horrible job at it! The men who died here that day are trapped between the here and now, unable to move forward and unable to leave. I know what I must do. Be ready to protect me, Varric."

"With my life, Sweetness." She retrieved her staff and held it out in her left hand while her right hand was held out with the palm up. She tilted back her head, her eyes closed as she began the process of closing the wounded place in the Veil. Then her hands and the staff began to glow with a powerful light as she moved both through the cold mist.

Dustin gripped my shoulder tightly. "I can 'see' what she's doing! I wonder if I have magic, too? It's pretty amazing, don't you think?"

I nodded, almost wishing I too could see what she was up to but frankly, I just wanted this business to be over with. "Something's coming!" Dustin shouted as he reached for his bow. I had Bianca out in a split second, my long fingers on the trigger and bolts in the chamber. She sprang open and I watched closely for the creature the elf-kid had sensed or seen. Then it was there, a demon with glowing eyes and no mouth. It hissed at us, approaching Kye with deadly intent. It had its claws outstretched, ready to stop her but Bianca had other ideas as three bolts separated the head from the body. It fell to the ground where it became a puddle of dark, green slime. I'd killed enough of those demons to know that stuff was corrosive and told the kid to watch his step.

"You good with your bow?" I asked him.

"Yesser! Real good!" came the eager reply.

"Good. Flank Kye, don't let anything near her. If you 'see' something I can't, shout out for me. Bianca wants to play."

"Aye, Ser." The boy practically bounced his way to Kye's opposite side. She was unaware of us as she weaved the mist like an expert weaver wove an intricate design into a rug. Her empty hand and the staff moved as if they were separate from the rest of her and she seemed asleep in her closed-eyed trance. The boy shouted again and I heard a thud behind me, another demon turning to sludge at my feet with an arrow protruding from the goo. I yelped and bounced out of the way. Shit! That was close. He shouted again and this time I saw the pair of Rage Demons, their yellow eyes gleaming from their fiery, miasmic forms as they slid across the stone floor to attack my helpless Champion. I had just the bolt for those two. Ice is a wonderful thing, I thought with a grin as I loaded my bolts. Rage demons hate ice and cold with a passion. In fact, they pretty much hate everything but cold kills them rather effectively. "Bianca, lets kiss those two good night!"

The bolts went into each demon, chilling them, slowing them and drawing their attention away from my lover. There you go, beasties! Come to papa! Bang! Bang! Two more bolts and the demons' light dimmed considerably as they were weakened. Then water splashed around them as the kid threw a bucket of water at the pair. It wasn't enough to kill them but it must have hurt. The water sizzled around them where it struck the scorched floor. "Die, shit-eaters!" I shouted as I pumped six more ice-bolts into them. That's what it took to waste them.

When I spun around, Kylea was leaning against her staff, practically sagging against it. The mist was gone and the hall was silent once more. I guess that meant she had succeeded! She did seem to be smiling in triumph. There was nothing left of our visitors. But when I reached Kye's side and held her up, I could not see the kid. Where did that boy go off to? I looked around as my Champion buried her face against my neck. Then I saw him leaning against the wall, his face twisted with pain. Shit! Please, Maker please don't let the kid be possessed.

To be continued…


End file.
